Not I
by Diane Long
Summary: What if it wasn't you?
1. Default Chapter

Not I  
  
By Diane Long  
  
  
  
1 Chapter One  
  
Ryoko sprawled out on her bed, laying on her stomach and kicking her bare toes through the humid air. Her red tank top and white shorts clung to her skin, a bond sealed with sweat and the atmospheric effects of oncoming rain. Her wild blue hair was tamed and pushed back from her face with a black headband. She flipped through the pages of a fashion magazine trying to spark a sense of interest from within the pit of boredom that held her captive.  
  
"Now that's an ugly dress," she commented absently, running a finger over the picture of the dress. "It would look perfect on that silly princess."  
  
As Ayeka wasn't present to respond with some witty or heated repartee, the comment felt lonely and flat. Ryoko's knowledge of what Ayeka and Tenchi were currently off doing only made her loneliness increase.  
  
"Well, a monster woman like you would look hideous in any dress," Ryoko bantered in a high-pitched, over-formal imitation of Ayeka's voice.  
  
"Yeah? You want a piece of me?" she countered in her own voice.  
  
"Yes, so I can put it out in the trash bin where it belongs," she screeched in Ayeka's voice.  
  
"Come on then!" Ryoko cried, forming a ball of energy between her palms. She looked about the messy environs of her room and chuckled, letting the energy ball fizzle out.  
  
"Wow. You've got it bad," said a pint-sized Washu phasing through the door to lean against the wall. Washu looked cool and unperturbed in jean cut- offs and a cropped yellow tee shirt. Her hair was bundled away in one of her physics defying hats, leaving her neck open to the air.  
  
Ryoko's cheeks turned the barest hint of pink, for the shortest of seconds, at being caught in her game. She rolled her eyes. "Got what?"  
  
"The blues," Washu said crossing her arms and looking shrewd. "You miss them."  
  
Ryoko snorted, casting her eyes to the window and watching the teasing clouds of impending rain continue to gather. "I miss that chipmunk like I miss having the runs," she said dismissively.  
  
Washu said nothing and continued to watch her daughter.  
  
The silence lasted for nearly a half an hour. Both women were used to isolation, be it while they were truly alone, or surrounded by others who didn't understand them. Silence didn't fluster them, and they both knew how to wait.  
  
"It needs to rain soon," Ryoko said after a while. "I can't take this sticky weather much longer." She wiped the back of a slender hand against her forehead as she spoke.  
  
"I agree. That's why I like the lab so much. I have complete control over the climate in there."  
  
Ryoko turned her head and looked at Washu from the corner of an eye. "Can you encourage the rain?"  
  
"You know I can't without sending the Earth's weather systems into complete chaos. The infrastructure for weather control isn't set up yet. Won't be for a loooong time," the genius lectured.  
  
"I figured," Ryoko groaned, taking up the magazine and using it to fan her self. As her bangs shifted in the slight breeze Ryoko cocked her head and gave her mother a significant look. "Okay, out with it."  
  
Washu arched her eyebrows but held her tongue.  
  
"Don't play coy with me," Ryoko growled. "I've been expecting this mother- daughter talk since before they left."  
  
Washu smiled and walked over to the edge of Ryoko's bed. "Do you mind if I sit down?"  
  
Ryoko got up into an Indian style seated position, making room for the redheaded scientist. "Suit yourself."  
  
Washu sat on the edge of the bed, and ran a hand through Ryoko's bangs, seeming uncharacteristically gentle. "They will be back tonight. I thought you should know."  
  
Ryoko's mouth silently formed the word 'Oh', and her fingers crumpled the edges of the magazine into a tighter hold.  
  
"What will you do?" Washu asked quietly.  
  
"Nothing." Ryoko jerked her head out of Washu's reach, her eyes looking at the floor.  
  
"Ryoko," Washu began.  
  
"Nothing has changed," Ryoko snapped, cutting her off.  
  
"Look, I know getting you to talk about your feelings is pointless, so I'm going to leave." Washu got to her feet and rested her fingertips on Ryoko's bare knee. "But I want you to know something." She paused, looking away. "I'm very proud of you."  
  
Ryoko's head tilted up, trying to catch her mother's gaze. "What?"  
  
"You heard me," Washu said, disappearing back through the wall.  
  
"Huh," Ryoko grunted, staring at the empty air where Washu had stood. Her yellow eyes blinked three slow times before she lay back down and refocused on the magazine. Ryoko flipped the pages skimming across images and words, not really reading.  
  
She scratched the back of her knee with the opposite foot's big toe. Washu was proud of her. Big whoopty-doo.  
  
And they were coming back.  
  
She lay her head down, her cheek resting on the relatively cool surface of the magazine's pages. What would it be like? It was all different now, but she wanted it to stay the same.  
  
She draped an arm over the side of the bed and searched for a bag of snacks with her fingertips. Her probing digits rustled through cellophane wrappers and empty plastic bags before finding a glossy rice cracker. She ferried the treat to her mouth and crunched absently, remembering why she hadn't eaten this one the first time around. Damn nori wrappers. They stuck between her teeth.  
  
They were coming back.  
  
  
  
She raised up and brushed the crumbs from the corner of her mouth. She made a small energy spike with her pinky finger and used it to pick her teeth.  
  
Back, back, back.  
  
Low growls of thunder sound from far away, teasing with the possibility of a break in the weather, rain to wash away the heat and the sweat of the humid summer air. Ryoko pushed the magazine off the bed to fall randomly and forgotten to the floor. It was too damn hot to concentrate.  
  
She leaned over the foot of her bed and examined the closest heap of clothing. Seeing the pale pink hem of her bathrobe, she pulled it free of the pile and shook the wrinkles out. If it wouldn't rain, then she would take a nice tepid soak in the onsen.  
  
Tenchi and Ayeka… how would they be? How should she be?  
  
The robe draped over one arm, she gathered her bathing items into a green plastic tub. Peppermint bath gel would feel very good today. As she tucked her purple mesh scrubby into the bin, she heard the familiar vibrations of a large space ship cutting through the atmosphere.  
  
They were here. The trip was over. Now they were back and nothing would be the same.  
  
Ryoko lingered over getting her supplies together and finding just the right towel form her own collection of high count Egyptian long staple cotton linens – only the best for a connoisseur like her, even if she didn't take care of them - and carefully slid her door open. With silent steps, she eased her way to the very edge of the landing and peered down into the living room.  
  
The family stood around babbling excitedly as unknown Jurian guards unloaded luggage in the background. In the middle of the crowd, almost in their own separate space, stood Tenchi and Ayeka all smiles and eager chatter. Tenchi was gesturing wildly and laughing, repeatedly engaging in his old habit of scratching the back of his neck. Ayeka was nodding at him and laughing, delicately tapping one foot as if to emphasize a point.  
  
They looked good. Tenchi's face was relaxed and happy. Ayeka positively glowed with joy. The trip had done them good, it seemed.  
  
Tenchi's eyes searched the group and settled on Washu. "But where's Ryoko?"  
  
Ryoko slid back around the corner in case Washu would subconsciously look in her direction and lead the eyes of others. That link could be a pain in the ass. She heard Washu's nasal voice tell Tenchi that Ryoko was taking a bath.  
  
"Thanks, Washu," Ryoko murmured and teleported to the onsen to make her mother's words true. She activated the secret lock she had designed into the doorway and dropped her toiletries by the nearest waterfall. Instead of bathing first as was proper, she dove into the cooler upper pool and swam a quick lap. She paddled to the edge of the pool and settled onto a submerged seat and pushed the hair out of her eyes. The coolness felt divine. She let her legs float up so her toes appeared through the water.  
  
It was so easy to not think about things that bothered you. You just didn't think.  
  
::They're asking about you,:: Washu's mental voice whispered into her mind.  
  
Ryoko wiggled her toes and leaned her head against the damp wooden planking of the deck. You just don't think.  
  
::What do you want me to say?:: Washu persisted.  
  
Ryoko closed her eyes and let her feet drift back to the bottom of the pool. Don't think.  
  
::I know you're listening to me:: Washu thought gently.  
  
::Tell them I'm fine,:: Ryoko responded, the overtones of irritation clear. It was hard not to think with a pipsqueak shouting inside of your head.  
  
::Very well.:: Washu's presence left Ryoko's mind.  
  
Ryoko took a deep breath and plunged under the water, the bubbles erupting to the surface in quick succession, unwanted thoughts going with them.  
  
***  
  
"…And then Tenchi forgot to wear the proper socks for the council meeting!" Ayeka laughed. "Oh you should have seen the look on the counselors' faces!" She leaned across the couch and took Sasami's hands. "Can't you just see it? Tenchi wearing blue socks to see those stuffy old goats?"  
  
The lamps scattered about the living room chased the shadows into the far corners, illuminating the family reunion with nurturing tones of warm yellow. The long awaited rain pelted against the windows, making the scene even more cozy as the extended Masaki clan sat crowded into the couches and chairs.  
  
Sasami giggled. "Oh sister! Were they very offended?"  
  
Washu crossed her legs and leaned back into her chair. "Doesn't blue mean death on Jurai?" she asked with a snicker.  
  
"And blue socks are restricted to funerals," Yosho added. "Tenchi! I trained you better than that, boy!"  
  
"But grandpa!" Tenchi protested. "You never told me about socks!"  
  
Laughter filled the room, followed by the clinking sounds of sake being poured.  
  
Mihoshi looked at her socks, a yellow pair featuring burly masked men in red and blue body building uniforms. She pulled at the fabric and asked, "But what do Space Police Police socks mean?"  
  
Kiyone groaned and playfully whacked her partner on the arm. "They mean you haven't grown up yet!"  
  
The group laughed again.  
  
"The why do you have a pair too?" Mihoshi asked innocently. "I mean, you're far more grown up than me!"  
  
"Mi. Ho. Shi!" Kiyone shouted as Washu howled with laughter. "You always take it too far!"  
  
A sharp laugh sounded from behind them, catching everyone's attention immediately. Heads turned to see Ryoko standing by the dining table her hair wrapped up in a towel turban, and a cold can of beer in her hand.  
  
"Good one, Mihoshi," she said in her throaty voice. She took a calm drink of her beer and returned everyone's tense glance with a long, even stare.  
  
Tenchi got to his feet and faced her from the other side of the couch. "Ry – Ryoko!"  
  
Ryoko looked to her mother. "Thank the Gods it's finally raining."  
  
"Ryoko!" the young man repeated.  
  
"Tenchi," she returned.  
  
"Uh, hi," he said.  
  
She took the towel off of her head and shook her head, making her damp hair fly. "Hey."  
  
Ayeka popped to her feet as well. "Miss Ryoko!" she gushed, her hands clasped in front of her.  
  
Ryoko languorously slid her gaze to the purple haired woman. "Welcome home, Princess."  
  
"Are you well?" Ayeka asked, her face frozen into a mask of concern and the knuckles of her fingers turning white.  
  
"Yes. Yes I am." She cocked her head and let the right side of her bottom lips curl up a bit. "Couldn't be better."  
  
Tenchi and Ayeka stared at her, clearly at a loss for words. The rest of the family watched on in silence, their earlier cheer vanquished.  
  
Ryoko yawned. "Well, this is enough excitement for me. I'm going to bed." She turned and began floating up the stairs.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi called in a tight voice.  
  
Ryoko didn't stop or turn around. "Goodnight, Lord Tenchi."  
  
***  
  
Ryoko slipped into her most conservative nightgown. Its satiny red fabric draped from thin spaghetti straps at her shoulders to fall over her feet. She sat on the edge of her bed, tucked her feet beneath her and waited.  
  
Contrary to popular belief, she wasn't stupid and she knew what was coming next. Her sensitive ears caught the sound of two sets of hesitant footsteps coming up the stairs, then clattering across the landing, and continuing up the next flight.  
  
"Three, two, one," Ryoko whispered as the first timid knock sounded at her door. There was a pause followed by an even softer knock. "He can't even decide on whether to knock on my door or not," she thought in irritation.  
  
"Hello? Miss Ryoko?" called Ayeka's nervous, but determined voice.  
  
That was Ayeka for you. "Yes?" Ryoko responded.  
  
"May we please come in?"  
  
"Who's with you?" Ryoko asked for the sheer perversity of it.  
  
"Er… Lord Tenchi," the princess said awkwardly.  
  
"Sure, come on in."  
  
The door slid aside with aggravating slowness, revealing the pale and uncomfortable faces of Tenchi and Ayeka. They steeped sideways, almost crab-like, into he room, looking around carefully as if afraid of tripping a bobby-trap. They stayed near the door, and struggled to look her in the eyes, as they both toyed with the buttons on their garments.  
  
"Did you have a nice trip?" Ryoko asked with unnatural calm.  
  
"Oh yes," Ayeka said is a gentle whisper. "It was lovely."  
  
"Good. How about you Tenchi? Did you enjoy being in space?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," he said, scratching the back of his head. "It sure was different from the last time you took me up there," he said weakly.  
  
Ayeka frowned and jabbed him sharply in the ribs for his careless comment. "Ryoko, we may as well come to the point, as this is going nowhere. Now that we are back…"  
  
"You want me to leave right?" Ryoko interrupted her. "I figured you would." A glimpse of utter sadness passed over her features before she could lock it down.  
  
"No!" Tenchi said urgently. "That's the last thing we want."  
  
"I must agree with Tenchi. Don't be ridiculous Ryoko," Ayeka commanded.  
  
Ryoko nodded once. "Then what can I do for you?" she asked pointedly.  
  
Ayeka straightened her back and looked Ryoko in the eye. "As I was saying, now that Tenchi and I are back we wanted to check on your wellbeing. We have been worried about you."  
  
Ryoko smirked. "I sure wouldn't have wasted my honeymoon thinking about you."  
  
Ayeka smiled at the flash of Ryoko's fighting spirit and let the comment slide. "You were indeed in our thoughts and we brought you back a present from Jurai, because you are our friend Miss. Ryoko. You do understand that, right?"  
  
Ryoko ignored the attempt at bonding. "So what did you get me?"  
  
"An invitation to visit the royal wine cellar and the privilege to take out as much as you can carry," Ayeka said seriously.  
  
"Your family's cellar is one of the best," said an impressed Ryoko. "Thanks, that's not bad for a consolation prize, I guess."  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi groaned.  
  
Ayeka nodded her head in acknowledgement of the truthfulness of Ryoko's words. "That is why we gave you a priceless gift."  
  
Ryoko breathed sharply through her nose, the tension of the moment eating away at her control. "Thank you."  
  
Ayeka cut a shallow bow towards Ryoko. "You are welcome."  
  
"Can you two leave now?" Ryoko asked simply.  
  
Tenchi looked hurt, but Ayeka nodded cordially. "Of course. Goodnight, Miss Ryoko," she said pulling Tenchi with her as she excited the room, sliding the door closed behind her.  
  
Alone in her room, Ryoko tried to fan Tenchi and Ayeka's airborne pheromones away from her face. "Damn Newlyweds."  
  
  
  
Author's Note: Okay, those of you who read my usual Tenchi-and-Ryoko-are-in- love-love-LOVE stories, must know that "Not I" is very difficult for me to write. I'm not really enjoying it, but am doing it to help myself grow as a writer. I would very appreciate feedback as much as possible, as it will help me continue writing on this story in a timely manner. Even if you are not a big fan of Tenchi/Ayeka pairings please stick with me. This story is really about Ryoko's struggle to find her self, and bring meaning to her life now that Tenchi is beyond her reach. Thanks for your support in advance. Smoooch! Di 


	2. 5 -7 - 5

Chapter Two  
  
The following morning, a hazy sun was well over the horizon, before Ryoko opened her eyes. She rolled over onto her back, her tussled blue hair spreading out around the pillow, and the bare curves of her body gleaming with a faint sheen of perspiration. She had abandoned her nightgown sometime in the night, deciding that it was too hot to be worried about decency. Besides, if Tenchi needed to come bother her again, he deserved to see a little bit of what he was missing.  
  
Her eyes widened at the thought. Tenchi.  
  
She scrunched her eyes and puckered her lips. No. She wasn't thinking about him. She desperately sifted through her memories, trying to find any other possible thoughts to fill her mind. She remembered how adorable Sasami had looked in her fist ever bikini this summer. And how Tenchi's warm brown eyes lit up when he smiled… No! Not about Tenchi!  
  
Ryoko rolled over in bed, burying her face in her pillow. She couldn't really think about Sasami's new bathing suit without remembering that she had helped the little girl acquire it while Ayeka had been away on her honeymoon. And that thought led to Tenchi….  
  
Ryoko growled and grabbed her head. She couldn't help it. Everything was leading her thoughts back to Tenchi… And Tenchi was married. He was married to Ayeka and completely out of Ryoko's reach.  
  
Giving up her attempts to hide in denial, Ryoko sat up and grabbed a corner of her pillow and squeezed tightly. Today was the first day of their lives with Ayeka and Tenchi as a married couple. That meant that even Sasami was now legally a member of Tenchi's family.  
  
Ryoko's shoulders sagged. So now she was even more of an outsider than before. At least Ayeka used to be a freeloader too, but now she had a claim on the family resources. How long would it take before she lost her temper and kicked Ryoko out?  
  
But where would she go? This was the only home she knew. Really, it was the only home she had ever had.  
  
Home. This wasn't her home anymore, as much as she wanted it to be. It wasn't going to be Tenchi and Ryoko's house one day, like she had hoped.  
  
She didn't have a home anymore.  
  
She clenched her fists and forced the frightening concept of exile from her mind. If she behaved, then maybe they would let her stay. That was it. She knew all about toeing the line, from her days with Kagato. If she gave them no reason to be angry with her, then surely they wouldn't make her leave.  
  
Nodding, Ryoko levitated off of the bed and tilted forwards, landing on her feet. She ran a hand though her hair, and decided the wild snarls suited her mood. With a thought she was attired in her tailed yellow and blue dress. With another thought, her body vanished and reappeared by the dinner table.  
  
The rest of the family sat eating their breakfasts and chatting over the details of the honeymoon. Upon Ryoko's arrival, the conversation halted abruptly. Eight pairs of eyes followed Ryoko's progress as she silently took her seat and reached for her bowl of rice. She dug her hashi in and shoveled a bite to her lips, pausing before she put it in her mouth.  
  
"Yes?" she asked quietly, then completed her bite. Even though her mouth felt glued together, the pirate forced her self to chew, as she firmly restrained herself from looking at Tenchi and Ayeka.  
  
All eyes looked away as the sounds of Ryoko's chewing filled the uncomfortable quiet. Ryoko continued to eat, her eyes stoically staring at a blank spot on the wall above Noboyuki's head. After four uncomfortable mouthfuls, she placed her bowl back on the table with a soft thump and reached for her cup of hot tea.  
  
The family continued their breakfasts in silence, no one knowing quite what to say. The ticking from the hall clock highlighted the absence of conversation.  
  
Ryoko raised the cup to her lips and blew softly, before taking a long sip. "Great breakfast, Kiddo," she said, finishing the rest of her tea in two gulps. She stood up and stretched, showing off how causal she could be. "Thanks. I'm a busy woman, so I better get going." And with the familiar sound of shifting molecules, she was gone.  
  
Sasami looked at Ryoko's place setting and took in the half-eaten bowl of rice and untouched plate of omelet and sake simmered sea bream. "But she hardly at a thing!" she said in a small voice. "I know she's still hungry." Her eyes shimmered, showing signs of tears.  
  
Mihoshi looked around the room in confusion. "When did we get a clock in here?" She shook her head. "Tick tock!"  
  
Ignoring the statement of the obvious, Tenchi and Ayeka's eyes met and they both shook their heads with regret weighing down their shoulders.  
  
Washu drummed her fingers on the tabletop and addressed the newlyweds. "Don't worry she'll get over it," she said confidently, though her expression belied her words.  
  
"Oh will she Miss Washu?" Ayeka asked, her head bowed over her breakfast. "I've never seen her looking so empty. This is not like her at all!"  
  
Katsuhito finished his tea with a loud slurp. "Isn't it?" he asked in his gentle voice.  
  
Washu gave the older a man a considering look and nodded in agreement with his implication.  
  
Tenchi looked perplexed. "Of course it isn't like Ryoko. She's too quiet. Too… accepting, Grandpa! I expected her to be angry! To fight!"  
  
Katsuhito, rose from his place at the table and crossed his arms. "Then you do not understand," he said firmly. He raised an eyebrow at Washu and calmly left the room.  
  
Tenchi titled his head. "What's not to understand?"  
  
Washu snorted, as she also rose to her feet. "Well Tenchi, looks like you made the right choice, then."  
  
***  
  
Hours later, successfully not thinking of how awkward breakfast had been, Ryoko gazed out at the fast moving clouds caught within the jet stream. The air was moving up high, but not down on her level. The still muggy air was like that of an oven; yesterday's rain had only made the weather worse. A small trickle of sweat rolled down her neck, and she considered, not for the first time that summer, cutting off her heavy mane of hair. What would Tenchi think of that?  
  
Tenchi. She had blown it at breakfast somehow. Even when she was being well behaved, it upset them. Couldn't she do anything right? This wasn't working.  
  
As her throat tightened, she realized she had let her thoughts stray to unhappy areas. With a force of will, she returned her thoughts to the safer topic of whether or not to cut her hair.  
  
Cut it? Her hair, that was one of the few things that made her special. Who could see those spiky blue locks and not be instantly afraid? It was like her hair was a forewarning of sharp edges and punishing spikes, or so she would like to think. Then again, it was also very soft and lost its spiky appearance the moment it got wet. In fact, her favored style was not doing so well in the humid air. The sharp peaks of hair resembled more of a natural wave this summer.  
  
She snorted. So what? It wasn't as if anyone noticed her these days.  
  
Which was sort of what she wanted, but it made her feel so…so…tense. There was a tight feeling in her chest, a mix of frustration, anxiety, and anger. Feelings she almost always had, but had been able to vent in her friendly fights with Ayeka. Those didn't seem likely or very political anymore, particularly if she didn't want to be evicted.  
  
What did they have to fight over now anyway? Even so, Ryoko missed the verbal and physical sparring. More than that, she needed it. Without that release, long pent up emotions were clamoring to the surface of her mind where she might have to address them. It was getting more and more difficult to ignore her problems.  
  
She growled and tracked the flight of a song sparrow as it took wing across the lake, swooping upwards as it caught a thermal. She extended her index finger and took aim, needing to release some steam before she took aim at a member the household.  
  
"Sparrows have such a sweet song, don't you think?" asked a wise sounding voice.  
  
Ryoko flinched and curled down her finger, a look of guilt in her eyes as she made eye contact with the elderly priest. She shrugged and turned away, shamed that he had caught her in such an act.  
  
Katsuhito peered up at the young woman, leaf shaped shadows dappling his face. "Its hot today."  
  
Ryoko grunted and kept her eyes averted.  
  
"Yes, I agree," the older man went on as if she had answered him civilly. "It's hotter than usual this year. Would you like to join me in my office for a glass of iced tea?"  
  
Ryoko tilted her head towards him and narrowed her eyes. "What are you up to?" At least she didn't have play nice with him. She didn't live in his house.  
  
Katsuhito chuckled. "The radio said it was up to 104 at lunch, where we missed you today by the way."  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "And?"  
  
"And, since it is so hot and you missed lunch I thought you might be thirsty," he said disingenuously.  
  
"And you came all the way out here to invite me to have some tea?"  
  
"I have some beer if you would like that better."  
  
"Why not?" Ryoko jumped from the branch to land stiffly in front of Katsuhito. She winced and tilted her neck from side to side to ease the tension she felt there.  
  
As they started walking, the grey haired man looked at Ryoko appraisingly. "Your muscles look very tight today," he observed.  
  
Ryoko nodded, unconsciously massaging the back of her neck with her hand.  
  
Katsuhito slid the shrine's door open and gestured for Ryoko to proceed him. "Have you been stretching properly after your exercises?"  
  
A bark of a laugh escaped her lips. "What?" she asked incredulously.  
  
Katsuhito opened a small fridge and took out two ice cold bottles of Asahi and quickly removed their bottle caps with an opener. "Cooling down after physical exertion is very important," he said seriously, handing Ryoko a beer.  
  
She cackled and took a long pull. "You crazy old man, you know I don't exercise."  
  
"Why not?" he asked sinking into seiza . "I would think some one as athletic as you would exercise quite a bit."  
  
Ryoko joined him on the floor. "I don't need to."  
  
"Even to reduce stress?" he asked with a casual air, peering into the neck of his beer.  
  
"Hey, who says I'm stressed?"  
  
"The stiff way you hold yourself, not to mention they way it hurt when you jumped from the tree," he answered, after a drink.  
  
"What would you know about it?" she asked, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Part of my training involved body massage and pressure points. I can tell your muscles are tight just by looking at you."  
  
"I thought masseuses had to touch people," she said sarcastically.  
  
"Do you want a massage then? I could do it for you, but with tension such as yours it would hurt badly."  
  
"Whatever." She drank her beer faster so she could get out of there. Nosey old man.  
  
"I understand. I would avoid such pain as well," he offered in a complacent voice.  
  
"What, you're saying I'm scared?" She couldn't believe it.  
  
He took a loud swig of beer and didn't answer.  
  
"Well, screw that! I'm not afraid of you! Bring it on old man!"  
  
"If your certain," he said gravely, getting to his feet, and placing his half finished beer on his desk.  
  
"You bet your sissy blue skirt I am," she muttered, finishing her bottle and pitching it into a garbage can.  
  
He walked over to a small closet door and opened it calmly, reaching in to pull out a rolled futon. "Now, don't mock my hakema," he chided. "You know very well it is a symbol of my rank."  
  
She watched him unfold the mattress and cocked her head to one side, "Rank shmank. I just think you are trying to get me in bed," she groused, cheered considerably by the banter. She hadn't really considered him before, but Katsuhito was almost as fun to play with as Ayeka.  
  
He gave her a clinical look and ignored her comment. "Take your clothes off and lie on your stomach," he said turning his back to her.  
  
Always game for a challenge, Ryoko unbuttoned her collar and quickly untied her obi. "See what I mean?" she asked letting her dress fall around her ankles. "A bed and no clothes can only mean one thing!"  
  
"Lie down," he repeated in a tranquil voice.  
  
"Okay, okay!" The covers on the mattress made a soft sound as she lay down upon her stomach. "I'm down."  
  
Her turned around and quickly draped a white sheet over her rear, then knelt at her side with a bottle of oil in his hand.  
  
"Hey, no fair! Don't cover it up," she complained, wiggling her butt under the sheet. "What's wrong with it?"  
  
Katshuhito chuckled and poured some oil into his hands, releasing the faint scent of jasmine. "I'm a priest. I should not be tempted by the bared bottoms of young women." He rubbed the oil in his hands, warming it.  
  
"Hmph. I guess that's all right then." She turned her head and looked up at him. "Why are you being so nice?"  
  
"Does there need to be a reason?" he answered with a question. "Now try not to talk, just relax." He placed two hands on her back and let the warmth from the oil sooth her. He began moving his hands in slow, circular movements, pulling her muscles up and around her shoulder blades with his hands.  
  
Her eyes drifted closed and she sighed.  
  
"Good. Relax." He rubbed firmly at the base of her neck. "Its not got for you to hold your feelings so strongly in your body," he whispered close to her ear. "You need to let it out."  
  
Ryoko frowned at his words, but what he was doing felt too good to interrupt.  
  
He slid his hands down to her lower back and began to knead. "You can let it out in many ways you know. By exercising, talking to somebody, writing, drawing a picture, or many other things."  
  
Ryoko laughed, sounding dreamy from his ministrations. "Me draw? Or write? Don't be stupid."  
  
"We all have hidden talents," he said, as his hands beat a percussive rhythm along her spine.  
  
"I know my talents, " she said firmly. "And expressing myself isn't one of them."  
  
"Hmmm." With that, came a change in his technique. He dug a thumb deeply in the muscle that made up her left shoulder blade.  
  
She grunted in surprise and pain.  
  
" I warned you this would hurt," he explained, pushing his thumb in even deeper. "I need to release the muscle toxins that have been building up.  
  
"That's supposed to hurt?" she quipped, grinding her teeth.  
  
"Don't you think it does?" he asked repeating the procedure on her other shoulder.  
  
"No, " she gritted out. "It feels like a flea on my shoulder."  
  
"Ah." He grabbed the muscle group right above her kidneys and squeezed tightly.  
  
"Are you even doing anything back there?" she demanded her bravado at full power, despite the single tear of pain that rolled from her lashes.  
  
Katshuhito chuckled and began rubbing her back more gently. " I think you have lots of hidden talents."  
  
"Yeah?" she asked, relieved the torment was over.  
  
He extended the sheet up her back and draped it around her shoulders, helping her to sit up. "Yes. You are a great actress."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
He handed her a glass of water. "Drink that, it will help wash those released toxins out of your system."  
  
She nodded and took a sip. "Actress?"  
  
"Yes, we both know that hurt, yet you hid it so well." He paused. "Just like you do around Tenchi and Ayeka."`  
  
She hunched her shoulders and frowned into her glass.  
  
"But now we know you are an artist, we can try some other forms besides acting!"  
  
Ryoko kept her frown and directed her gaze to the shrine keeper. "I'm not really interested."  
  
Katsuhito returned the expression, the frown wrinkling the aged skin around his eyes. "You would continue harming innocent creatures instead?"  
  
Ryoko's frown shifted to a look of shame. "I didn't do it."  
  
"But you almost did. What about next time? And the time after that?"  
  
Ryoko gathered the sheet around her neck and was silent.  
  
"Instead of harming the song birds, perhaps it would be better for you to find your own song," he said gently.  
  
"I see," Ryoko responded phasing into a simple black dress with a red belt as the discard sheet fell away from her body.  
  
"You can read and write, yes?"  
  
"Of course I can! You don't have to be a spoiled princess to know how to read," Ryoko snapped.  
  
Katsuhito rose to his feet and approached his desk. "Forgive me for asking. I wasn't sure of the educational requirements for space pirates."  
  
She shrugged her shoulders as he opened a desk drawer and pulled out a legal pad and a blue roller ball pen. He walked back over and handed them to her. "These are for you."  
  
Ryoko took them and stared at the blindingly bright expanse of clean, white paper. "What do you want me to do with these?"  
  
"I would like you to try your hand at a form of poetry. It is called a haiku. It has three lines, the first and third lines have five syllables and the second has seven. Do you understand what I mean?"  
  
Ryoko thought for a moment then grinned. "You mean something like this:  
  
Ayeka's big butt  
  
Grows bigger because she eats  
  
My share of tea treats!"  
  
Ryoko put her hands on her hips and waited for Katsuhito's reaction.  
  
He chuckled behind a hand. "It seems you have a natural talent for word play, which actually isn't very surprising. Just remember they don't have to rhyme. They can, but they don't have too."  
  
Ryoko nodded. "Say, aren't you mad because it was about Ayeka?"  
  
The grey haired man walked slowly to the door and slid it back, and obvious signal for Ryoko's departure. "Poetry is a private thing. No one has the right to tell you what it should be about."  
  
Ryoko scooped up the dress she had been wearing previously and headed for the door. "It can be about anything? Even bad things?" she asked walking outside.  
  
"Especially about bad things," he affirmed, shutting the door behind her.  
  
  
  
Author's note: Well? Is it getting any better? Is it worth having me write with a broken finger? Let me know! Review please! 


	3. Only the Lonely

1 Chapter Three  
  
  
  
Ryoko soared above the canopy of trees, her poise reflecting her worsening mood.  
  
Write about bad things huh?  
  
Well, her life was just chock full of bad things.  
  
Where to start? Could it be her history as a killing machine? Or maybe she should just take it further back and begin with being 'born' in the form of a misbegotten machine?  
  
:: I heard that,:: muttered a displeased voice in the back corner of her mind. ::It isn't true.::  
  
::Argh! Get out of my head!:: Ryoko thought back with venom in her mental voice, before abruptly slamming shut her end of the mental link.  
  
Ryoko frowned as she flew above the Masaki property. Everything was bad. EVERYTHING.  
  
She stopped short, pulling up so that her body hovered above the earth in a pseudo-standing position. The bad thoughts were coming to the surface again. She crossed her arms. Damn poetry. She didn't think too deeply for a reason.  
  
As the air currents cooled her skin and toyed with her hair, Ryoko scanned the landscape, one fang gnawing on her lower lip. There was one thing that helped her keep those mental nasties away. It couldn't hurt to just look, could it?  
  
She took off again and headed for the fields.  
  
Perching in her favorite tree, Ryoko watched Tenchi hoeing the carrot rows. He had removed most of his clothing and was working in a white, tank-top- undershirt and jean cutoffs. His small but defined musculature strained as he lifted the hoe over his head and brought it back down to loosen the earth.  
  
Ryoko smiled, momentarily distracted. Tenchi worked so hard, and at such simple tasks. But they clearly brought him such fulfillment. He was lucky that way.  
  
Watching Tenchi had always reminded her that the bigger issues in life weren't always what mattered. When he was working, the simplicity of his actions were the focus. When he was sleeping, his innocence shone forth like a beacon in the night.  
  
Her Tenchi.  
  
No. Not her Tenchi. Not now, not then, not ever.  
  
And she certainly couldn't watch him sleep anymore. Who knew what she might find these days? She shuddered at that thought.  
  
No. Tenchi couldn't sooth her demons anymore.  
  
***  
  
Ryoko kicked her shoes off as she entered the house's vestibule. She wiggled her sweaty toes on the cool floor tiles and smiled in comfort. She looked at the neat line of shoes by the wall, then at her own lying where they had randomly landed. For half a second, she considered tidying them, then shrugged and floated on into the house.  
  
Upon reaching the living room, the one-time pirate looked up at the rafter and down at the couch. The couch was more comfortable, but even though the room was empty now, the soap operas started in about ten minutes and the couch would be a crowded mess. She clutched her legal pad against her chest and chewed on her lip. She certainly didn't want any one to watch her write, and none of the girls could be counted on to respect her privacy.  
  
Almost as summoned by the thought, Mihoshi bounced into the room looking cool in a white sundress. She dropped onto the couch, making the hem of her skirt flutter. "Hi there Ryoko," she greeted as she picked up the remote.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"So, what are you doing with that notepad?" the blonde asked breezily.  
  
"It's for my hit list," Ryoko replied, sounding dead serious.  
  
"Oh," Mihoshi replied with a nervous squeak. "I'm not on it am I?"  
  
"Not yet," Ryoko said floating up to her rafter.  
  
"Oh my, oh my!" the detective stuttered and turned back the television and quickly using the remote to switch it on before she did something to be added to the list.  
  
Ryoko brushed a patch of dust off the beam and settled the pad on to her lap and toyed with the pen. She could write about anything. Anything.  
  
She frowned. If she could write about anything, why did her head feel so empty?  
  
She clicked the pen into readiness and touched the point to paper. Instead of words, doodles began to cover the page. A laughing chibi Washu had a chibi Ryoko tied up and seemed to be experimenting on her. Ryoko frowned at that one. Her next drawing had the Ryoko chasing after Washu with a hatchet. Now that was more like it.  
  
Following this was an illustration of a victorious Ryoko standing on top of a hog-tied and gagged Washu.  
  
Rather pleased, Ryoko let lose an evil sounding chuckle.  
  
"Miss Ryoko?" asked Ayeka's sweet voice.  
  
Ryoko looked down to see Ayeka getting up from her position on the couch between Mihoshi and Sasami. It seemed the soaps had started while she had been caught up in the creative process.  
  
"Yes?" Ryoko asked as the princess walked around the couch, stopping directly under the rafter.  
  
"I didn't realize you were up there. Wouldn't you like to join us on the couch? There is plenty of room," Ayeka offered kindly.  
  
"Thanks, but I'm kinda busy here," Ryoko responded.  
  
"But, it's your favorite show. Please come and join us?" Ayeka all but begged.  
  
"No thanks," Ryoko said more firmly as Ayeka's shoulders fell.  
  
"Oh Ayeka be careful!" Mihoshi called. "Ryoko's writing out her hit list!"  
  
"Oh?" Ayeka asked with a raised eyebrow. "Am I on it?" she asked slyly, clearly trying to get a response.  
  
"Number one," Ryoko responded automatically. "Oh, I mean, of course not Lady Ayeka," she said catching herself.  
  
"Ryoko please, you needn't go on like this. It can't be good for you," Ayeka said in a cajoling voice.  
  
Ryoko looked at Ayeka for a moment then smiled the barest of smiles before vanishing from sight.  
  
"Oh Sasami! What are we going to do with her?" Ayeka asked with dismay.  
  
***  
  
Ryoko popped into existence above Katsuhito's writing desk, causing him to startle and spill his cup of tea down the front of his white jacket. "Miss Ryoko!"  
  
" 'Ryoko', will do," she said watching him through narrowed eyes. "You're a mess. What ever happened to the ' You Always Need To Be Vigilant' talk you are constantly giving Tenchi?"  
  
Katsuhito pretended to ponder this, then glided to his feet and grabbed Ryoko's wrists. Before she knew what was happening, he pivoted neatly on the balls of his feet and slammed her to the floor.  
  
She hit with a resounding smack as she let go of the pad and used her right hand to make first contact with the floor and dissipate her falling body's kinetic energy.  
  
"You were saying?" he asked calmly, dabbing at the tea stain with a cloth.  
  
"Heh," she laughed getting to her feet. "That felt good. I haven't taken a high fall in a while."  
  
"I could tell," he said. "Your form has suffered."  
  
She cocked her head and looked at him steadily, not really minding his comment, because it was true. "Any way," she drawled. "That's not why I came all the way up here."  
  
"So what is your reason?"  
  
She stamped over to him loudly, each step radiating frustration. She paused nose to nose with him and stared him in the eyes. "I can't write."  
  
"Oh?" He gave her one of his crazy-as-a-loon-shrine-keeper grins. "Did you forget to click the pen?"  
  
"No," she roared. "The pen is fine!"  
  
He pretended to consider. "Did you run out of paper?"  
  
"No, I did not!" she seethed  
  
"Then what's the problem?" he asked gently.  
  
"I'm trying to tell you!"  
  
"Hmmm." He stepped back, broadening the space between them. "Have a seat." He gestured to some soft cushions on the floor.  
  
Ryoko huffed a short expulsion of breath and sat in a half lotus position while hovering three feet above one of the cushions.  
  
Katsuhito sat on the floor in seiza and waited.  
  
"I don't know what to say," she ground out. "You made it sound so easy."  
  
He nodded. "It is easy when one doesn't fight it. You are trying too hard."  
  
Ryoko just crossed her arms and grunted.  
  
"Let me see what you have done so far."  
  
Ryoko reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled ball of paper. Grimacing, she handed it to him.  
  
Katsuhito carefully smoothed the paper out and looked at Ryoko's illustrations for a long moment.  
  
"See? I told you I couldn't do it."  
  
"Hmmm." He looked more closely at the pictures then looked back to Ryoko. "These pictures seem to tell me a story. Try to tell me the same story in words." He handed the paper back to Ryoko along with another pen.  
  
"Now?" she complained.  
  
He nodded and closing his eyes, slipped into a meditative state.  
  
Deprived of company, Ryoko clicked the pen and after a long moment of thought, began to write, scribble out her words, then try again. This process continued until she almost ran out of room on the sheet of paper. Finally satisfied, she sat up straighter and flicked the pen at the priest.  
  
"Mmm?" he asked not opening his eyes.  
  
"I'm finished."  
  
He opened his eyes and held out his hand.  
  
Looking a little nervous, Ryoko handed him the paper and waited expectantly.  
  
He cleared his throat and read the following,  
  
"If Washu doesn't  
  
Stop messing around with me  
  
She will be sorry."  
  
"It rhymes again," he said.  
  
"Is that all you can say?" she demanded. "This is stupid." She straightened her legs and touched down on the floor. "I'm out of here."  
  
"Wait. I have an assignment for you."  
  
She paused.  
  
"Write me one about sake, with no rhyming. Can you do that?"  
  
She snorted and drifted through the wall.  
  
***  
  
Ryoko flew back towards the house, absently caressing her chin as she thought. That old jerk! She had come to him for help, and he had just made fun of her.  
  
Well, she'd show him! She'd write a damn poem about sake, and shove it up his ass! She could do it! After all, sake was one of her favorite things in the world.  
  
Maybe it would be a good idea to drink some sake, then write about it.  
  
Her brow crinkled. Nah, that probably wouldn't work, as she tended to pass out when she drank.  
  
"Tenchi! No! Ha ha ha ha ha! Stop it!" Came Sasami's shout from below.  
  
Ryoko looked down to see the family van in covered in soapsuds, and Tenchi chasing Sasami around with the hose, splashing the little girl at every opportunity.  
  
"Its cold!" Sasami shrieked as she ran to the opposite side of the van, trying to find cover.  
  
Tenchi laughed and continued his pursuit until Sasami's ponytails were drenched and hung limply down her back.  
  
Ryoko's lips turned down as she watched. They were having so much fun. Like the brother and sister they had legally become. She hugged herself and teleported to the roof, facing away from the two playing in the front yard. But she could still hear them. They sounded so happy. They were a happy family, just not her family anymore.  
  
The thought of leaving crossed her mind again. But where would she go? Were all the bounties on her head canceled? In every system? Who could be sure?  
  
Noticing that bleak thoughts were again coming upon her, Ryoko teleported back to the shrine, hoping to raise her sprits by picking another fight with the shrine keeper. To her dismay, she saw that Ayeka had come to pay her brother a visit. The pair of them sat on the front porch laughingly playing a game of checkers and reminiscing about the good old days on Jurai.  
  
Ryoko's stomach turned when Katsuhito, lovingly told Ayeka how proud he was of her, and how perfect she was for Tenchi. Feeling like a malformed puzzle piece, Ryoko teleported away before they saw her. She didn't fit in anymore. She had no spot. It was time for drastic measures.  
  
Ryoko appeared at the broom closet door that served as the entrance to her mother's lab. She knocked on the wood with hesitation and waited.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She knocked louder this time.  
  
Again, no response.  
  
Giving up on good manners, Ryoko tried to open the door.  
  
Locked.  
  
::Little Washu?:: she called mentally.  
  
::Yes?:: came the distracted reply.  
  
::Are you busy?:: Ryoko asked carefully, shielding her emotions from her mother. She was not really certain what she wanted from the small scientist, and hoped to keep things casual.  
  
::Yes.:: was the firm reply.  
  
::Oh.:: Ryoko turned away from the door and walked out into the living room with heavy steps.  
  
She tried to be angry with Washu, for ignoring her, but for some reason, the anger could not cover the ache in her chest. She stopped walking and rubbed a hand over her torso. Yes, there was pain. And something was wrong with her breathing too. It was coming in short little rasps that never quite filled her lungs. And her eyes were stinging. It felt terrible.  
  
She turned around and hurried back over to the door and banged on the wood impatiently. "Hey! Answer the door!" The wood shuddered with the intensity of her blows.  
  
::Go away, Little Ryoko. Mommy's busy now.::  
  
"I'm sick, damn it!" Ryoko snapped. "Let me in!"  
  
Before she could hit the door again, it swung open to reveal Washu's concerned face. She deftly caught Ryoko's fist as it descended towards where the door used to be. "Sick?"  
  
"Yes," Ryoko moaned. "My chest hurts, and I – I can't breath," she wheezed, her skin pasty and damp.  
  
Washu watched her for a moment, looks of clinical detachment and worry taking turns on her face. "Let's get you in here and take a look at you then."  
  
Ryoko leaned against the doorframe and looked away. "In there? You know I don't like to go in there," she backpedaled.  
  
Washu watched the color creep back into to Ryoko's cheeks. "What's wrong with you? Do you want my help or not?" she asked testily.  
  
Ryoko glanced into the lab fearfully. "I don't know," she replied in a tired voice, her breathing resuming its usual cadence.  
  
Washu followed Ryoko's gaze into the gloomy depth of her lab and understood at once. She called up her laptop and pressed a few keys. The lights in the lab slowly raised until the darkness was replaced by an almost cheerful glow. "Better?" she asked, dismissing her computer.  
  
Ryoko nodded and followed her mother inside.  
  
After a minute of walking, Washu pulled out an ergonomic office chair and motioned for Ryoko to have a seat, while she hopped onto an adjacent lab- stool. "Your condition seems to be stabilizing," she said calmly.  
  
Ryoko looked around at the specimens that Washu kept in this section of lab. They were rather peaceful, really. Some of them swam along in large tanks, while other played in cages made to represent their natural habitats. The small chirrups and screeches they snag out made this area seem almost comfortable.  
  
"Little Ryoko?" Washu prompted.  
  
"Oh. Right. I'm feeling better now, thanks." Ryoko rose to her feet, looking regretfully at the animals. She wouldn't have minded watching them for a while.  
  
"What's the rush?" Washu asked easily. "I think we should talk about this some more. You said your chest hurt, and you had trouble breathing. Anything else?"  
  
Ryoko sat back down. "Well, my eyes were burning."  
  
Washu tilted her head to one side and tapped a finger against her jaw. "And these symptoms are now gone?"  
  
"Yep," Ryoko agreed, feeling rather foolish for her earlier panic. "Any idea what it was?"  
  
Washu's face took on a guarded look as she nodded.  
  
"Well? What was it? Will it happen again?"  
  
"Tell me Ryoko, what were you doing before this happened?" Washu asked, taking a pen and a small notepad out of a subspace pocket.  
  
"Well, I was flying. Like I do every day of my life. "  
  
Washu jotted that down. "What did you see?"  
  
"I saw Tenchi and Sasami washing the car. Then I saw Ayeka and the old man playing a game."  
  
Washu's head dipped, so that Ryoko could no longer see her eyes. "And then you came to see me?" she asked, regret heavy in her voice. She was no longer writing.  
  
"Yeah, so what?"  
  
Washu sniffed. "I'm sorry I sent you away."  
  
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong with me or not?" Ryoko snapped, weirded-out by Washu's change in mood.  
  
Washu raised her head, her eyes bright, but her cheeks dry. "I will tell you, but you won't like it."  
  
Ryoko nodded brusquely. "I can take it."  
  
Was chuckled darkly. "Alright then. You were lonely." She paused. "Lonely and sad."  
  
"Huh?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"You know those things called emotions? Those things you like to hide? Surprise, sometimes they won't stay hidden."  
  
"I know I have emotions!" Ryoko blustered. "I'm feeling pissed off right now!"  
  
Washu held up a hand. "Hold it. I told you that you wouldn't like my answer. Yes, you have a handle on anger and hate. However, you keep your unhappiness suppressed everyday."  
  
Ryoko stood up and menaced her mother. "What the hell do you know about it? My entire existence is one big unhappy mess! I know what unhappy feels like."  
  
Washu stood up as well and met her daughter's glare, craning her head up so she could look Ryoko squarely in the eye. "Oh yeah? When do you cry?"  
  
"I cry!" Ryoko defended herself. "I cried when I thought Tenchi was dead! I cried when Kagato was trying to kill him!"  
  
Washu reached up and pushed Ryoko back into her chair with surprising force. "That doesn't count! Those were times of stress and panic. Your adrenaline was more responsible for your tears than your emotions." She looked down at her daughter and gently caressed her face. "You don't know how to cry to express your sadness."  
  
Ryoko just started at her. "But…but…"  
  
"That's why your eyes were burning silly. And why you had trouble breathing. Your body wanted to cry."  
  
"And my chest?" Ryoko asked quietly, seeing the sense her mother was making.  
  
"Your heart hurt."  
  
"Can you fix my heart?" Ryoko was whispering now.  
  
"I wish I could."  
  
"Then why did it go away?" Ryoko asked, regaining some sparkle. "There must have been a reason!"  
  
Washu's smile brightened her entire face. "As hard as this might be for either of us to believe, I think you got better when you saw me."  
  
Ryoko looked doubtful.  
  
"You see, you saw everyone else had someone to be with, and you were lonely. So you came looking for your mo - , er, for me," Washu said carefully.  
  
Ryoko picked at the fabric of her skirt. "Then you were too busy, so I got… sad?" she finished uncertainly.  
  
Washu nodded. "And I won't be too busy anymore."  
  
"Don't trouble yourself on my account," Ryoko grumbled, hoping to start an argument, rather than return to the topic of her lack of tears.  
  
"Hey, its not like you usually come calling."  
  
"Alright, alright," Ryoko conceded, rising to her feet. "I guess I should go, huh?"  
  
Washu gazed at her daughter who was taking a final, longing look at the specimens. "Well, I could use some help feeding these critters."  
  
****  
  
Ryoko dug through the kitchen cupboard, looking at the different pottery sake sets. Some were blue and rounded, others were beige and more squarish. There was even a set of cups made of wooden boxes. She took an example of each cup and set them out on the counter in a neat row. She looked at them for a moment then stacked them on top of each other in different permutations of type. Just as she placed the larger box cup on the top of a stack, her nose quivered and she froze, her hand hovering in the air above the upper-most cup.  
  
"Hey, Ryoko," said Tenchi from behind her, his voice betraying his nervousness.  
  
She turned around and lounged against the counter, a lazy smile pasted on her face, her body blocking her cup tower. "Hello, Tenchi."  
  
He had two empty glasses in his hands; one of the rims was smeared with pale pink lipstick. He walked further into the room and placed the glasses in the sink. "I haven't seen much of you since we got back."  
  
Ryoko's smile took a turn for the worse, looking a bit forced. "Really? I'm sorry about that."  
  
"Ryoko, you don't have to do this." Tenchi's warm brown eyes reflected concern and sadness.  
  
"Do what?" she asked, her smile straining further.  
  
Tenchi frowned and took hold of Ryoko's shoulders. "This… this fake acceptance! You act like you don't care, but I know you do!"  
  
Ryoko's smile cracked into the lines of a grimace. "What do you know about me Tenchi Masaki?" she snapped.  
  
He clutched harder at her shoulders. "I know this can't be doing you any good!"  
  
Her eyes took on a hard glint. "I don't think that's any of your concern."  
  
"Why not?" he asked earnestly.  
  
"Why?" she echoed. "Why?" She looked at him in utter disbelief. "How can you even ask me that?"  
  
"Ryoko, my feelings for you haven't changed," Tenchi said with urgency underlying his words.  
  
"Yeah," she answered, making it sound like an accusation.  
  
"I mean, you are still my friend," he clarified.  
  
She looked at him for a long moment. "Tenchi, what's the point of having this conversation? It won't fix anything."  
  
"What's broken?"  
  
Ryoko's brought a hand to her heart unconsciously as she looked away. "Nothing you would notice."  
  
Tenchi had the grace to look guilty. "Are you still my friend, Ryoko?"  
  
She nodded. "Don't be stupid."  
  
He released her shoulders and took a step back. "I'm glad."  
  
"Just don't expect things to be liked they used to be either," she warned.  
  
Tenchi sighed in defeat, his regret an almost palpable force in the room. Spying the stack of sake cups behind Ryoko, he seized the distraction. "Empty sake glasses?"  
  
She looked behind her then back at Tenchi. "Yup."  
  
"Well that's a first for you!" Tenchi tried to joke.  
  
She considered. "Empty…." She brightened. "That's it! Thanks Tenchi!"  
  
He scratched the back of his neck. "For what?"  
  
"Inspiration," she answered shortly, pushing off from the counter and weaving around him as she floated out of the room.  
  
  
  
AN: Hey all! Thanks for the feedback! Its keeping me going on this one! 


	4. Things to Do

Chapter Four  
  
  
  
Ryoko shifted, and looked down at the land stretching out beneath the outcropping of her cave. The dimness of evening was shadowing across the hillside, and the last traces of pink sunset were slowly shading to a deep purple. The white paper of her notepad took on a strange luminescence in the blue half-light, making the writing seem like magical runes.  
  
The many balls of crumpled paper scattered around her testified to a long afternoon's efforts. In fact, the darkness surprised her. She had no idea that she had been working on her haiku for so long… gauging from the position of the moon just over the rim of the horizon, she must have been working for over four hours.  
  
She finally had one that didn't rhyme. Maybe that dratted old geezer would go easy on her this time. It bothered her when he laughed at her, not that she'd ever show it. If he laughed at her when she showed him this one, he was going to eat it. Literally, she had a small bottle of hot sauce in her left pocket.  
  
Carefully incinerating her crumpled rejects one by one, she considered what to do for the rest of the evening. That hollow feeling inside was still there. Washu had called it loneliness. It was nice to have a name for an emotion she had felt in some form for all of her remembered existence. But tonight it felt like a hunger, it chewed at her and made her feel torn up inside.  
  
And she didn't like it.  
  
::Uh….. Washu?:: she asked, sending out a tendril of thought.  
  
::Yes?:: Washu answered promptly.  
  
::This…um…. 'lonely' business…:: she started then stopped, her awkwardness flavoring the thoughts she sent to her mother.  
  
::Mmmm?::  
  
Ryoko did an equivalent of a mental throat clearing. ::Do you have a shot for it?::  
  
Washu's amusement filtered softly over the link. ::I wish. Nope, you need to come hang out with us, I fear.::  
  
::Damn it,:: Ryoko muttered. ::I figured.::  
  
::Oh, it's not so bad, Little Ryoko. We are all in the living room watching a movie. You could slip right in.::  
  
Ryoko considered. She was so lonely that it felt like a physical pain.  
  
::It might help the hurt:: Washu coaxed.  
  
::Oh fine then,:: Ryoko thought, giving in. ::If you say so.::  
  
::See you, then,:: Washu sent, gently closing her end of the link.  
  
Ryoko firmed her resolve and took off, flying towards the house. She could do this. She missed them, and she had every right to spend time with them like she used to do. And they wanted her right? They all said so. Still, her nerves jangled anyway. There was no way it could be like it used to be. What if it was weird?  
  
Well, she could always blow up the house and leave. It as a s simple as that. Well, that would suck actually. Maybe she should just play it cool instead. If they were weird she would ignore it. Maybe it would be okay.  
  
::Show them how by being normal yourself,:: Washu suggested in a whisper.  
  
::Hmmprh. ::  
  
***  
  
After stashing her notebook behind the refrigerator, Ryoko walked softly into the darkened living room. The TV cast a soft blue glow about the room as the entire household lounged on the couches, caught up in a movie. Ryoko stepped around a chair and looked at Sasami and Ayeka curiously. "Can I sit here?"  
  
Their faces brightened and they scooted apart to make room for their troubled friend. Ayeka patted the now empty spot with an eager hand. "Please, have a seat."  
  
"We even warmed it up for you!" Sasami giggled.  
  
"Mmmm, nice," Ryoko sighed as she sat with an exaggerated wiggle of her rear. "What are we watching?"  
  
Ayeka beamed at her seatmate. "Oh you know, the usual love drama," she said carelessly as she offered up a bowl of rice crackers.  
  
Ryoko arched an eyebrow. "Don't we have enough of that going on around here as it is?" she asked dryly, taking a cracker.  
  
Ayeka's smile turned upside down. "Oh dear, I didn't think… I'm sorry." She absently sat the bowl on the table.  
  
Regretting her comment, Ryoko patted the princess on the shoulder, like they were old cronies rather than one-time rivals. "Don't sweat it," she comforted casually, thinking that the TV show couldn't be any worse than her life these days. She inhaled the cracker without really chewing it up and reached around Ayeka for another.  
  
"No, this isn't right," Ayeka muttered fretfully. "Sasami, we need to watch something else!" she announced, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.  
  
Sasami bounded off the couch and picked up the TV guide form the windowsill and started flipping through the pages in a frantic search. The rest of the family wisely kept silent as tensions in the room rose.  
  
Ryoko eased back into her seat without a cracker. "Please, don't… you were already watching this," she almost pleaded.  
  
Ayeka pressed her lips together determinedly. "Miss Ryoko, we are all a family here, and families respect the feelings of each other." She looked over to her sister. "Sasami! Haven't you found anything else yet?" she snapped.  
  
"I'm sorry it's too dark to read," the young girl whimpered, holding the pages close to her nose and straining to make out the characters.  
  
"Really, don't make such a big deal out of this," Ryoko complained with a deep frown, the tail of her dress twitching in agitation. "Just drop it, Ok?"  
  
Ayeka ignored her. "A comedy? A music video? The news?" she demanded in her most imperious voice.  
  
"I'm sorry sister," Sasami whined.  
  
"Stop!" Ryoko shouted, jumping out of her seat. "Don't yell at her!" Ryoko hovered above the couch with clenched fists.  
  
Ayeka blinked, stunned for a moment. "You are not up to this type of programming!" she protested weakly.  
  
Ryoko grabbed her own forelocks with both hands and pulled hard. "Arg! I'm not going to break!"  
  
Washu knowingly buried her head in her hand with a low groan, while the others looked on in shock.  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi began.  
  
"Just shut up Tenchi," she cut him off before he could begin his usual wimpy attempt at calming her down. "This – this – THIS is why I don't spend time with you guys anymore! I'm a SPACE PIRATE! I don't need or want your pity! I just want…" she faltered here. "I just things to go back to normal."  
  
"But…" Noboyuki interjected, his heart clearly breaking for her. "We don't want to hurt you."  
  
Ryoko snarled. "Do I have to blow the roof off of your house before you believe that I'm fine?"  
  
Noboyuki yelped and upended a bowl of popcorn over his head, cowering underneath.  
  
"Are you fine?" Katsuhito asked conversationally,  
  
Ryoko shot him a look of annoyance. "Can it."  
  
"Ryoko, my friend," Ayeka tried again. "We just worry so."  
  
Still fuming, Ryoko nodded. "Well, cut it out. It's not helping me." She cast a look at the Sasami and spotted a tear running down her cheek. She floated over to the youngster and patted her on the back. "I'm sorry kiddo." With that she teleported to the top of the Torii framing the shrine steps.  
  
A cool wind blew some darker clouds over the waning moon and made the blue tressed pirate shiver. She had tried to be with them tonight. To be normal. Didn't they get it? If she couldn't have Tenchi, she would accept just having all of them as her friends. Or maybe even, as Ayeka had put it, as her family.  
  
But if they kept treating her this way, how could she find herself again? She hadn't meant to disrupt the evening. She had only wanted to be with them. She had barely sat down before it became a three-ring circus with her as the main attraction. Maybe she should just leave. The current situation wasn't making anyone very happy.  
  
"That went well," said a nasal voice below her.  
  
Ryoko looked down to see her mother and Katsuhito peering up at her.  
  
"Don't start," Ryoko said tiredly, looking away. "It was your dumb idea anyway."  
  
"No I mean it Little Ryoko," Washu said sincerely. "I think they really needed to hear that from you."  
  
"Indeed," Katsuhito added. "That was nicely done."  
  
"Huh?" Ryoko asked stupidly.  
  
In a blink the two had joined her atop the Torii, Katsuhito by means of a tremendous leap, and Washu by means only known to her.  
  
Washu, unused to showing Ryoko outward affection, patted her daughter's leg awkwardly. "The trouble has been that no one has known how to treat you."  
  
"And now that you have shared your wishes things should be easier," the priest said from Ryoko's other side.  
  
Ryoko shrugged and looked across the landscape for a long, silent moment. "It's hard," she said simply.  
  
Katsuhito and Washu shared a glance. It was unusual for Ryoko to show her feelings without prompting.  
  
As Ryoko twiddled her thumbs and stared off into the distance Washu nodded in answer to some internal question. She turned to Ryoko and said quietly. "It must be difficult to live in the house these days."  
  
Ryoko nodded.  
  
"Would you like to live somewhere else?" Washu asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"No?" the red head parroted.  
  
"No, I do not want to live in the lab," Ryoko clarified.  
  
Washu laughed. "Silly Ryoko! I don't want you in my lab, messing up my experiments and research! No, that wasn't where I meant."  
  
"Where then? In the shrine with this old coot?" she asked gesturing towards Katsuhito with her head.  
  
"I hold the same objections to that as Washu," was his even answer.  
  
Ryoko felt a chill steal over her. "You're… you're kicking me out?" she asked in a frightened whisper.  
  
"No!" Washu snapped and a flowerpot landed on Ryoko's head.  
  
"Ouch," Ryoko said as she rubbed her forehead, the pain distracting her from her earlier worries.  
  
"Look there," Katsuhito encouraged, pointing to the side of the lake opposite to the Masaki household.  
  
Where there had only been grasses and darkness before, stood the shadowed outline of a small A-frame house with yellow light spilling cheerfully from the windows. A fence outlined a small front yard, whose lush landscaping softly reflected the moonlight.  
  
"What's that?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"You're new house," Washu said proudly. "Designed and made by me."  
  
"My house?" Ryoko asked absently, peering at the structure.  
  
Katsuhito made an affirming noise in the back of his throat. "Professor Washu and I have been thinking along the lines you spoke of tonight. We also think you need to get back to a normal life."  
  
"But," Washu added, "We realized that you didn't have much 'normal' to get back to, so we thought we would help create some normal things for you."  
  
The seemingly old man nodded. "And for anyone, living under the same roof as an unrequited love and his new bride is not at all normal."  
  
Ryoko nodded grimly. "I can see that."  
  
The priest pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "And you have too much time to ruminate."  
  
Ryoko raised an eyebrow, she didn't know what that last word meant. "Say what?"  
  
Washu swished her hands through the air dismissively. "Go get a dictionary if you want to know what it means. Practically speaking, you need meaningful tasks and a set schedule to stick to, otherwise you'll just mope around all day."  
  
"Meaningful tasks?" Ryoko grouched, not liking the sound of that at all.  
  
"Yes, laying about won't do you any good," Katsuhito affirmed sternly. "It never has."  
  
"What kind of tasks are we talking about here?" Ryoko asked with a note of distrust. "I like not doing 'tasks'."  
  
"Just like Tenchi trains with me, so shall you. I meant it when I said your form was suffering. We start tomorrow at dawn," he said.  
  
"Dawn?!?" Ryoko screeched. "You can forget that!" She might be feeling a little submissive after all of her current emotional wear and tear, but she wasn't a pushover either.  
  
"Dawn, dusk, or share my time with Tenchi and train with him also," he offered.  
  
"Dusk," Ryoko agreed reluctantly. She wasn't against training. She knew she need to do more than she had been, but dawn was totally out of the question.  
  
"Good! Then after that we can work on your poetry.  
  
"Poetry?" Washu asked with surprised interest.  
  
"Oh geeze," Ryoko groaned. "Did you have to tell?"  
  
"Poetry is to be shared, it gains life in the spoken word. Otherwise, the words are dead and hidden," Katsuhito pronounced.  
  
"She writes poetry?" Washu repeated.  
  
Katsuhito looked at Washu firmly, his expression telling her to be quiet. "Yes, she composes. Then that shall be what she does in the afternoons. Meditation and poetry."  
  
Washu took the hint. "Then that leaves the mornings to me. Ryoko dear, in the mornings you will fly into town and purchase the two of us lattes at that new Starbucks-Thingie. You will bring them back to me in the lab and we shall talk for an hour or so as we feed my fauna… and some of the flora too."  
  
"Cool," Ryoko commented casually, happy about seeing the animals again. Then the rest of Washu's comment filtered into her brain. "Talk?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Talk," Washu answered.  
  
"Talk about what?" Ryoko asked dubiously.  
  
"Everything," Washu said with an expansive wave of her hand.  
  
"Great," Ryoko muttered.  
  
Washu considered. "Do you want a latte too, Katsuhito?"  
  
"No thank you. Tea will do for me. Besides, I would rather support small businesses instead."  
  
Washu cackled. "I guess you don't need the caffeine that a genius like me needs!"  
  
Ryoko groaned.  
  
Katsuhito stood up, extending his arms for balance. "Well I think that's more than enough for a normal day, don't you Ryoko?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess," she answered reluctantly. "Sounds like too much."  
  
"Then we will take our leave," he said, leaping back towards the ground, ignoring her complaint.  
  
Washu placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Don't whine. Your bedroom is on the second floor. I even turned the bed down for you." The small woman smiled and winked out of existence before Ryoko could reply.  
  
***  
  
::Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up….:: droned Washu's mental voice over and over like a skipping record.  
  
Ryoko's sleeping mind grumbled and pulled itself away from a tantalizing dream. ::Whazzat?::  
  
::Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up….:: the drone continued.  
  
::Washu!:: Ryoko grumbled. ::Stop it.::  
  
::Wak - Oh sorry, that was a recording. Where's my latte?::  
  
::???:: Ryoko's mind slipped back under the waves of unconsciousness.  
  
Washu chuckled warmly. ::I see how it is. I forgot to include an alarm clock.::  
  
::ZzZzZzZzZzZz::  
  
:Be that way. You leave me no choice my sleepy little Ryoko.:: The mental voice paused. :: TEN-HUT!:: she shouted.  
  
"Ahhhh!" Ryoko screamed, her eyes opening to the unadulterated brightness of the morning. ::MOM!:: she groaned, only to be answered by laughter and the feeling of the link shutting on her mother's end.  
  
Squinting Ryoko rolled out of the beam of bright sunshine. Not opening her eyes, she rubbed a hand over her face and smacked her lips, hoping to fall back asleep. It was too late, the sun shining in her face, not to mention Washu's shouting, had woken her up.  
  
She took in the feeling of the soft feather bed beneath her body, the down pillows supporting her head and the crisp cotton sheets twined about her legs. It was very comfortable, but it wasn't the rafter. A moment of disorientation addled her as she fought to remember where she was. She opened her eyes cautiously and took in the small room with sky blue walls and sheer white drapery over the windows, which allowed the light to stream in unabated.  
  
Ah. She was in her room. In her new house. She had expected to feel isolated and lonely upon waking here, but instead she felt a comforting sense of home. This was her place. She hadn't really owned much in the past and this was really her's. She could set the rules here. No one could kick her out. She scooted up to a sitting position and leaned against the headboard of her western style bed, her arms crossed behind her head, smiling in satisfaction. No, this arrangement wasn't bad at all.  
  
She glanced around the room and saw that Washu had included many thoughtful touches. There was a nicely framed photograph of the crab nebula on the wall facing her bed, hung next to several framed wanted posters of Ryoko each showing a different picture and profile of the ex- pirate. Ryoko smirked a tiny bit, only Washu could understand that while Ryoko was hideously ashamed of her past, there were some small parts of it she treasured anyway. Being such a bad ass that the cops couldn't catch her was a source of great pride.  
  
On the bed stand next to a Tiffany water lily lamp, done in blue and green glass tesserae, was a photo in a silver art frame. It was a picture of an adolescent Ryoko with an adult Washu standing behind her. Washu had her arms around Ryoko and was resting her chin on her shoulder. They both were beaming at the camera as a spring garden bloomed in a profusion of colors around them.  
  
Ryoko looked at the picture not sure if she felt touched or annoyed that Washu had included that photo. Unable, as always, to sort out her complex feelings on the matter, Ryoko turned the frame face down, pushing her confusion out of her mind with practiced ease. Early morning lattes her ass. Washu could just forget it.  
  
::That was our deal!:: Washu pointed out.  
  
::I don't remember any deals,:: Ryoko grunted, scratching her rear.  
  
::Now that's just lovely,:: Washu commented dryly. :About that coffee. When are you going into town?::  
  
::Never.::  
  
::But Ryoko, I need to figure out their secret mix of habit forming toxins so I can replicate it!::  
  
::It'ss way too early for your babble. Later.:: Ryoko pushed her mother out of her mind and yawned again.  
  
Ryoko got out of bed and stretched, the curves of her naked body elongating. Another perk: she could be naked without people freaking out. Even so, it was a little chilly this morning. Seeing a blue striped yukata on the back of the door she took it and pulling it on, tying the belt loosely and wandered down stairs. Her bedroom was the only room on the second floor, nestled under the pointed eaves of the A-frame.  
  
::You are coming to feed the animals right?:: Washu sweet talked, popping back into Ryoko's mind.  
  
::If I say yes will you go away?:: Ryoko asked with another yawn.  
  
::Yes I will!:: Was squealed in her little girl voice.  
  
::Yes. See you after I eat.:: Ryoko frowned and focused on seriously terminating her mental connection to Washu. There. That would guarantee some silence  
  
Downstairs she found her living room, kitchen and bathroom, where the wider base of the house offered more room. She walked through the living room, decorated in reds and blacks, noting the comfortable leather couch and deluxe entertainment center with satisfaction.  
  
She went on in to the kitchen and smiled at its simplicity. Done up in eggshell white and bright yellows, this was a room someone could wake up in. And it was simple too, obviously appointed for someone who didn't cook much. There was an electric hot water kettle by the sink, and the glass cabinets showed a wide array of instant noodles and soups. There was also a simple stove and refrigerator just to round the place out.  
  
Washu was all right, even if she was a morning person.  
  
Ryoko opened the fridge and happily removed a tall can of Asahi beer and cracked the tab. She took a long pull enjoying the cool fizz of the beverage.  
  
"Beer for breakfast?" asked Sasami's disbelieving voice. "It's a good thing I came to check on you!"  
  
Ryoko looked over at the sliding glass door that lead to a small deck and found Sasami smiling at her. Shifting her brown basket the young girls giggled as the wind made a small iron chime sing out a clear peal.  
  
Ryoko grinned back and opened the door, letting Sasami enter. "What are you doing here? Aren't the others demanding their breakfast?" she half- joked.  
  
Sasami set her basket on the counter and shrugged dismissively. "They know how to open a box of cereal."  
  
Ryoko sputtered, choking on her drink. This was a first! Sasami sounded pissed.  
  
Sasami scrunched up her face as if gathering courage and looked Ryoko in the eye. "Did they make you leave? Who did it, Ryoko? I'll never cook for them again!"  
  
Ryoko wiped her lips and set her can down, smiling thankfully at the girl. "No one made me leave."  
  
"Promise?" Sasami asked earnestly.  
  
"Pinkie promise," Ryoko returned offering her pinkie.  
  
Sasami wrapped her pinkie around the pirate's and nodded. "Then why did you leave? Is it something I did?" she asked with an uncertain quaver in her voice.  
  
Ryoko dropped to one knee and wrapped her arms around the little princess. "Don't be silly. You were the reason I stayed as long as I did."  
  
Sasami returned the hug. "Then why?"  
  
Ryoko pulled back a little and leveled a mock exasperated look at Sasami. "Come on. You know why."  
  
"But Tenchi and Ayeka still love you," Sasami protested.  
  
"Yes, but they love each other more. That's what married people do. So I'm letting them do that," she said, not adding that it was too hard to watch them do that anyway.  
  
Sasami nodded. "But you will still come over to visit, right?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Good," Sasami sighed. She pulled a carton of eggs out of the basket and stood on tiptoe to retrieve a skillet from its rack over the kitchen island. "I'm going to teach you how to make scrambled eggs! That way you don't have to come over for breakfast, and you don't have to have beer."  
  
Ryoko chuckled at that.  
  
Sasami quickly found a clear glass mixing bowl and a whisk. "But you can come to breakfast at our house whenever you want, OK?"  
  
"You bet," Ryoko said. "You sure brought a lot of eggs."  
  
"Well, this is a lesson so we need enough for trail and error," Sasami said sweetly.  
  
Ryoko chuckled. "You are going to make a great diplomat one day kid."  
  
Sasami blushed and cracked two eggs into the bowl. "The secret is to use a little water instead of milk."  
  
***  
  
Ryoko focused as Katsuhito lead her through a complicated sword kata, one that she was completely unfamiliar with. The wooden bokken she was using weighed much more than her energy sword so her muscles, while almost immeasurably strong, ached form being used in such novel ways.  
  
"No… again you have too much of an angle when you bring the sword behind your head."  
  
Ryoko hissed in frustration, licking a bead of sweat away as it ran into the corner of her mouth.  
  
Katsuhito placed his own bokken in the starting position of the kata. "Once more."  
  
Ryoko matched his posture and stance and followed him through the form as he began. They had been at this for at least an hour. When was she going to get to hit something? This sword dance was getting on her nerves.  
  
As he neared the point where she had been stopped before, Katsuhito shuffled forward quickly and brought his sword straight down upon her's as she brought it over her head. Her shock, and the fact that she still had too much of the sword angled down behind her, caused her to lose her balance and she tumbled backwards, creating a deadly opening for her opponent's sword. With a second thrust Katsuhito smacked Ryoko's ribcage with the side of his bokken.  
  
"Ow!" she yelped, half laying down, half sitting, and rubbing what was sure to become an ugly bruise on her chest.  
  
"Try harder," he said calmly, waiting for her to rise.  
  
"When are we going to fight?" she growled in frustration, ready for revenge.  
  
"When you show me you can concentrate."  
  
She frowned and got up. "I was concentrating the day I almost put YOU in the cave old man."  
  
He looked thoughtful at tapped the 'dull' side of his bokken on his shoulder. "True, but who lost that battle, mmm?"  
  
Ryoko had the grace to remain silent.  
  
"More importantly, you are not that driven creature anymore, most of the skill that fear and pain have given you has faded away."  
  
She snorted, too embarrassed to agree.  
  
"Which is as it should be." He scratched his chin and looked at the line of mountains rising up to meet the setting sun at the horizon. "You need to forget everything associated with that to be free."  
  
Uncomfortable with how close his words were getting to the torn places in her psyche, she looked at the ground in an uncharacteristically meek manner.  
  
Noticing this, Katsuhito decided she had had enough training for one day. He tossed her a towel. "That's enough. Get a drink of water and join me in my office with your notebook. Be there in ten minutes."  
  
Anxious to show him she was still strong she draped the towel around her neck casually and walked towards him instead of the mountain well. "I' don't need water, and I left the book in your office. I'm ready if you are."  
  
"Take a drink, Ryoko," he commanded softly, wanting her to embrace her human traits not hide them.  
  
"I don't want any water."  
  
"Please take a drink," he said more firmly.  
  
"No thank you."  
  
He walked over to the little well and drew the dipper through a basin that a small trickle kept clear and cold. He carefully returned to Ryoko, walking smoothly to avoid spilling the water. He held it out to her. "Water is life."  
  
"And I am death," she answered seriously. Two could play the philosophy game. But still, that answer revealed a little more than she had intended.  
  
"Water restores life," he said taking the dipper to his lips and drinking half of the water. "You share our lives, share our water." He held the dipper back to her.  
  
Tiring of the conversation, and on some level touched by his words, she accepted the water and drank the other half. It was so cold it made her teeth hurt and felt so good rushing down her throat. She hadn't realized how thirsty she had been! Without a word she walked briskly back to the well and drank three full dippers of water before she was satisfied.  
  
As she returned to Katsuhito, he said, "Sometimes we get so used to thirst we forget what it is we that we need to cure it." He smiled and turned, making his way back to the shrine, leaving a confused Ryoko to puzzle out the meaning of his words.  
  
Soon they were settled on the tatami notebooks and pens in hand, and a warm bottle of sake on a low table. This time Ryoko sat firmly on the floor instead her usual causal floating seat.  
  
"Let's see your sake haiku, please," he said holding out his hand.  
  
Ryoko handed him the notebook and he read:  
  
"Three sake saucers  
  
Two full, one empty. But no-  
  
One sees the crack in the third."  
  
He paused and looked up at Ryoko, somewhat stunned. "This a huge improvement. Very nice."  
  
She shrugged. "Tenchi gave me the idea." She sounded nonchalant, but her checks took on a pinkish tinge.  
  
Katsuhito nodded. "Given what you wrote here, I can see that this is all about Tenchi."  
  
"No, its about three sake cups we had in the cupboard," she protested looking at him as if he might be losing it.  
  
"But the third cup is empty and broken," he protested, wisely refraining from saying 'Just like you'. "While the other two are full," 'just like Tenchi and Ayeka', he also didn't say.  
  
"Well, yeah, the third cup had a big crack in it. It's hard to see it, but if you use it your sake leaks out," she explained patiently. "What does that have to do with Tenchi?"  
  
"Never mind," he said, wondering if she was blind to her own symbolism on purpose, or if her subconscious was speaking for her heart.  
  
***  
  
Phasing in through her front door, Ryoko flipped the lights on and deposited her notebook on the credenza, just inside the door. She cracked her neck, moving it from side to side for the best effect. So now what to do? Her annoyingly normal day had left her rather tired. Not to mention the itchy bites her mother's creatures had gifted her with that morning.  
  
She flopped down on the couch and reached for the complicated remote. Maybe some TV or a movie. Her eyes widened happily when she saw a Playstation II nestled amongst the other components of her entertainment center. Yes, alright. Now that was the way to spend an evening, she thought reading the spines of the video game covers neatly stacked on a self. Grand Theft Auto or Tekken 4?  
  
Before she could move to bring her plan to action there was a soft knock on her front door.  
  
"It's open," she called, crawling on the floor to check out her Playstation.  
  
The door opened and Tenchi and Ayeka entered, looking around with interest. Tenchi had on his usual jacket and loose pants and Ayeka wore a simple mauve sundress and a straw hat.  
  
"Congratulations on your new home!" Tenchi said, resting two flat, square boxes on the back of the couch. He was hiding his nervousness rather well, but the sweat in his brow gave him away.  
  
"Yes," Ayeka added, doing the same with a beautifully wrapped present. "This is lovely, Ryoko," she said in her sweet yet diplomatic voice.  
  
Somewhat surprised to see them so soon after her blow up, Ryoko rose to her feet, a game jacket in her hand. "Hey, thanks. It was a present from Washu," she said in her friendliest voice, to show them there were no hard feelings.  
  
Ayeka smiled at how perfectly placed Ryoko looked in the red and black room. "It suits you."  
  
Ryoko looked at the boxes Tenchi was holding and sniffed.  
  
Tenchi laughed. "Yes, this is pizza. I hope you haven't already had dinner."  
  
Dropping the game box, Ryoko walked over and took the boxes from him and padded into the kitchen. "Nope. And after your grand-dad whooped my but today I need some food!"  
  
Tenchi and Ayeka followed Ryoko. "I know what you mean," Tenchi said with a shake of his head. "He can be ruthless. Let me guess, he started you with Katas?"  
  
Ryoko rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yup." She reached into the fridge and grabbed a beer and a CC lemon soda then waved them at Ayeka questioningly.  
  
"Oh. I think I will have a beer please," the violet haired woman answered.  
  
Ryoko nodded and removed three beers.  
  
"Are your arms sore?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Very," Ryoko answered ruefully.  
  
"Don't worry it goes away."  
  
"I hope so! So anyway, do you want to eat in here or out on the deck?" Ryoko asked opening her beer.  
  
"In here will do, " Ayeka answered as she and Tenchi sat down.  
  
Ryoko opened the first pizza box and they all dug in.  
  
"So what brings you here?" Ryoko asked between bites.  
  
Tenchi scratched his head. "Well, about last night…."  
  
"As a house warming visit, of course!" exclaimed Ayeka, cutting him off, with an elegant frown.  
  
Ryoko took a bite of pizza, letting the cheese stretch dramatically long before it snapped and draped down her chin, making her friends chuckle. "Thanks," she said through a full mouth. She swallowed then added, "On both counts Ayeka."  
  
Tenchi flushed and toyed with his pizza crust. It was becoming more clear that he was horribly uncomfortable and unsure how to behave.  
  
Her serene smile a counterpoint to Tenchi's unhappy expression, Ayeka got up and went into the living room for a moment, then returned with the wrapped present. "And any good house warming needs a gift, so here you are." She set the present by Ryoko, who wiped her greasy hands on her jeans before reaching for it.  
  
" A present!" she exclaimed greedily, before shredding the paper off in less than two seconds. She took the top off of the cardboard box and removed five small foam wrapped containers. Carefully un-wrapping one, she revealed a delicate pottery sake saucer. It was a natural brown and had been carved into the shape of a lotus flower.  
  
"These are beautiful!" she exclaimed, unwrapping each cup and enjoying the similarity of form and uniqueness of natural coloration.  
  
"We went took the train to Imbe this afternoon and picked them out for you," Tenchi explained, losing some of his awkwardness.  
  
"Oh Imbe! These are Bizenware then?"  
  
Tenchi nodded, clearly pleased she recognized the genre.  
  
"That's right, and expensive, so be careful with them pirate!" Ayeka said playfully.  
  
Ryoko grinned, the first hearty grin anyone had seen in weeks. "Or what?" she drawled.  
  
"Or you will break them all and I for one won't get you any more!" Ayeka returned carefully, still learning the new rules in their games.  
  
Ryoko chuckled. "Well, I could always steal more!"  
  
"Now girls," Tenchi said sincerely, rather than playfully, killing the mood.  
  
Both Ayeka and Ryoko turned sour looks on him and he scratched the back of his neck. "What?"  
  
Ayeka sighed. "Tenchi…I thought we had already discussed this…." she trailed off looking apologetically at her once-time rival. "Miss Ryoko can we have an honest talk?"  
  
"Now?" Ryoko said uncomfortably. Getting along was one thing… why did everyone want to talk these days?  
  
"Now. I too would like to drop it, but we should let Tenchi know where we stand so we don't have anymore er… disruptions to our debates. And not just for Tenchi's sake. I think we need all parties to know the rules. Don't you agree?"  
  
"Ayeka," Tenchi began, discomfort clear in his voice. "Come one now, it's too soon for that kind of thing. I just wanted to apologize, not hash it all out."  
  
Ryoko absently rubbed the edge of a new saucer. "She's right. We need to do this." She angled her head and meet Ayeka's gaze. "So talk."  
  
Ayeka closed her eyes for a moment and drew in a deep breath. On the exhale, she opened her eyes and steeled her self for some difficult words. "You and I are were enemies first. Terrible enemies."  
  
Ryoko nodded somberly, thinking back to the day she met Ayeka and blew up her garden, a moment later. And that was just for starters.  
  
"Then we ended up here on Earth, with Tenchi."  
  
Tenchi gulped nervously, wondering if Ayeka knew what she was doing. "Can you keep my name out of this?"  
  
Ryoko barked out a rude laugh and Ayeka ignored him. "Hate turned into rivalry. That turned into friendly rivalry over time," Ayeka said giving Ryoko a fond smile and a pat on her hand. "And dare I say, in the end it became just friendship?"  
  
Ryoko nodded. "I have to tell you that I liked you from the moment I blew up your garden," she said with a tight, nervous laugh. "Here I was the ruthless Ryoko and instead of fleeing from my fire and wrath you told me off!"  
  
"I did?"  
  
"Oh yes. That made me laugh. The first time I had ever laughed that I could remember." Ryoko hunched her shoulders and looked away. "In a way, that makes you the first friend that I can ever remember," she said staring at her reflection on the sliding door.  
  
Ayeka's eyes grew misty. "Oh, Ryoko," she sniffed. "I had no idea!" She wiped at her eyes daintily, though no tears had fallen. " While I am pleased, you mustn't change the subject!"  
  
Ryoko chuckled. "Sorry, Princess."  
  
"As I was saying, we are no longer rivals because one of us won…." she trailed off.  
  
"And one of us lost," Ryoko finished more bitterly than she intended.  
  
"Unless you intend on becoming Tenchi's second wife?" Ayeka questioned.  
  
Ryoko bristled, sitting up straight and slamming her beer can down on the table. "There is no way!"  
  
"It's within the realm of possibility you know," Ayeka pushed, ignoring how pale Tenchi had become.  
  
"Legally maybe. But I will never accept second place in any man's heart. Even Tenchi's. Especially Tenchi's," Ryoko said with rising feeling.  
  
"Now, try not to get upset. We need to get this out in the open so we all understand what to expect from each other," Ayeka soothed.  
  
Ryoko nodded and visually made an effort to calm herself. She released her tight hold on the beer can, revealing four dents in the soft metal. "Sorry Tenchi, but not even for you. Ever."  
  
Tenchi nodded numbly, beads of sweat clinging to his brow.  
  
Ayeka nodded as well. "Then it could be seen as a win lose situation. Are you angry with us?"  
  
Ryoko bit her lip and crossed her arms. "Do we have to talk about that?"  
  
"Then you are," Ayeka said sadly.  
  
Ryoko sighed. "Don't sweat it your royal highnesses. Angry is too strong a word."  
  
"Is hurt a better word?" Tenchi asked carefully, finding his voice again.  
  
"Maybe," Ryoko answered reluctantly. "Let's skip how I feel. Yes, you are still my friends. Yes, I will still hang around you two. No, I won't run away." She pushed the chair back and stood up. "And now it's bed time for little space pirates."  
  
Ayeka nodded and rose to her feet also, pulling Tenchi with her. "One more thing. You said you want to be treated normally. Can you tell us what you want?"  
  
Ryoko padded back out to the living room and opened the front door. "Sure that's easy. Don't change what you are doing for my sake. If I don't like it I'll leave the room."  
  
Ayeka stepped out and turned to face her friend. "Is that all?"  
  
Ryoko nodded. "Just remember that I'm not made of glass."  
  
Tenchi followed Ayeka out the door. "Good night Ryoko. Are you sure you will be alright all by yourself?"  
  
Ryoko rolled her eyes. " If I have a nightmare, I'll just crawl in between you and Ayeka," she said drawled as she shut the door in his face.  
  
*** 


	5. Noise

"Not I"  
  
By Diane Long  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Ryoko dragged a red and white plastic lounge chair into her front yard. She ran back inside of the house for a moment and emerged wearing a purple and lime-green string bikini; carrying a large bottle of water. A pair of tortoiseshell-rimmed sunglasses perched on the top of her head, effectively holding her pale hair out of her eyes. Situating her chair so she had a good view of the lake through the blooming larkspur and delphiniums, Ryoko settled in to the chair and slid her sunglasses down over her eyes. A gentle breeze caressed her skin as the hot rays of the sun quickly warmed her down to her bones. Ahhh, warm. If winter was her least favorite season, summer ranked at the top of the list. As long as the air stayed dry, she loved the heat. And today there was hardly any humidity at all. She stretched her long legs and relaxed even further.  
  
A pair of small white butterflies danced and hovered over the blooming flowers as a barn swallow dived over the lake searching for insects. Such a peaceful day. Having a garden was certainly nice, no wonder Ayeka got into it so much. Ryoko sneered at herself. It was a good thing Washu's systems maintained this garden, because a gardener, Ryoko was not. As her thoughts turned to Ayeka, she wondered what everyone else was up-to that day. Particularly Ryo-Ohki. The cabbit had better luck getting carrots at the Masaki's so tended to hang out there more often than not. Little traitor.  
  
Ryoko had been in her home for over a week now. Moving out was, without a doubt, one of the best decisions she had made in her life. She had her own space and still got to see most of the gang everyday as she fulfilled her obligations with Washu and Katsuhito. Even so, she kinda missed having them around when she was away from them. Sometimes being 'across the lake' felt very far away.  
  
Or maybe it was that she missed the old days?  
  
Maybe she missed Tenchi?  
  
Bah! This kind of thinking got old fast, and according to Washu, just lead to pain. Everyone was fine and she, Ryoko Hakubi, was having a nice tanning session. Not that she tanned. Not that she missed anybody.  
  
Much.  
  
She cracked her toes as she wondered if they were watching the afternoon soaps over there. Maybe she should just wander on over and hang out for a little.  
  
No, she had joined them for the soaps yesterday. One day off wasn't going to hurt.  
  
"Oh Ryoko! How are you?" Mihoshi called as she made her way across the bridge spanning the lake. She was dressed for the weather in a bright yellow bikini top and very short jean cut-offs. A straw heat shaded her eyes as she held it down with one hand to keep it from blowing away.  
  
Ryoko sat up in her chair and waved. "Hi Mihoshi!" she yelled energetically. "Whatcha got there?" she asked spyng two bottles in Mihoshi's other hand.  
  
Mihoshi opened the gate to Ryoko's yard and stepped inside. "Beer of course! You looked so comfy out here. Can I join you?"  
  
"For a beer you can do what ever you want!" Ryoko laughed. "But I don't have another chair for you."  
  
"That's okay, look at Washu made for me!" Mihoshi took out a small orange cube from her pocket and threw it on the ground. In a puff of pink smoke, a full-sized black lawn chair appeared - right in the middle of Ryoko's flowerbed.  
  
"Ack! My Peonies!"  
  
"Ooops!" Mihoshi giggled, removing her chair from the bushy plant and scooting it over by Ryoko's. "You have to pee? Is that what you said? Please don't mind me, I can wait for you."  
  
"No, I was talking about my flowers," Ryoko groaned.  
  
"If you really have to go, you shouldn't hold it. That's bad for you," Mihoshi said firmly, standing with her hand on her hip, the cold beers held tightly in the other hand.  
  
"I don't have to pee. Give me a beer and sit down!"  
  
Shaking her head with clear misgivings, Mihoshi sat on the lounger and leaned back, handing Ryoko a beer. "It's your body, Ryoko."  
  
"Which wants to pound you," Ryoko grumbled.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Oh. isn't it a great lake view?" Ryoko reframed, not really wanting to fight. Mihoshi was Mihoshi, after all.  
  
"Yes it is!"  
  
The two women sprawled out and closed their eyes, soaking in the rays and sipping their beers.  
  
"Ryoko?"  
  
"Mmmm?"  
  
"I wish I had my own house too."  
  
"How come?"  
  
"With you gone, Ayeka makes me do more chores."  
  
Ryoko raised up on one elbow. "Mihoshi, I never did any chores."  
  
"I know, but now I get blamed for not doing yours as well as mine," the blond whined.  
  
Ryoko smirked. "That's rich. Is that why you really came over here?"  
  
"Well, sort of. I needed a nap." Mihoshi paused. "You mad?"  
  
"Nah, you can hide out over here anytime you want."  
  
"Even. even at night?"  
  
"What?" Ryoko slid her sunglasses up and squinted at Mihoshi.  
  
Mihoshi picked at her beer bottle's paper label. "Well, I shouldn't say this.but."  
  
Ryoko continued watching her friend.  
  
"Um. well. Tenchi and Ayeka make these really weird sounds."  
  
Ryoko held up her hand. "Mihoshi, I don't really want to hear about that."  
  
Mihoshi sat up and pointed the lip of her bottle at Ryoko. "I'm sorry, Ryoko, but I have to tell someone or I'll go crazy!"  
  
"Okay," Ryoko said reluctantly.  
  
"It's really loud. Tenchi sounds like he is stuck on the toilet," Mihoshi grunted a few times to make her point. "And Ayeka sounds like a. a. cat! Mee-ah Mee-ah!"  
  
Ryoko choked for a moment, then a large laugh burst free from her lips, the beer that had been in her mouth spewing onto her legs. "Mihoshi! That's terrible!" she laughed.  
  
"I know," Mihoshi said mournfully. "And it goes on like that for hours every night."  
  
"No, I mean you shouldn't say things about people like that. Sex just sounds weird sometimes," Ryoko corrected still chuckling.  
  
Mihoshi took a long pull of her drink and stretched her back. "Trust me, I know what sex sounds like." She pulled her hat over eyes. "And it sure doesn't sound like that."  
  
Ryoko tried not to get beer up her nose as she fought down more laughter. She knew Tenchi and Ayeka had been having sex, hell she could smell it on them. Being confronted with evidence of something she had been denied of Tenchi was painful. But to hear them lampooned like this, it was like a weight had lifted from her heart. Washu was right. Mihoshi was smarter than she seemed. Ryoko pushed her sunglasses down and fell back into her chair. "Well, the door's unlocked at night. The couch is yours as needed."  
  
***  
  
As the early morning sunshine brightened the tones of her blue and yellow striped dress, Ryoko stood in front of the Masaki residence's front door, trying to decide if she should knock or just walk in now that she didn't technically live there anymore. It was the first time she had come over uninvited and she hadn't thought about this before. As she debated, disturbing images of Tenchi and Ayeka making out on the couch ran behind her eyes. Some things she did not want to see. Ever.  
  
She rapped on the wooden edge of the paper screen three times and waited, listening distractedly to a Cuckoo crying up in the mountains.  
  
Tenchi answered the door, his curious expression saddening when he saw Ryoko. "Please, Ryoko, you don't have to knock. You can come and go like anyone else here."  
  
She smirked and struck a cocky pose. "You don't really want to say that to a spice pirate. Who knows what might happen!" She meant it, she was starting to feel more like herself again, and that opened up lots of fun ideas.  
  
He grinned and stepped aside so she could enter. "Ha, ha, Ryoko."  
  
Ryoko levitated slightly off the floor and floated behind Tenchi and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts into his back. "So," she breathed into his ear. "How's Ayeka in the sack?"  
  
"Ryoko!" he shouted, his face turning a strange splotchy pink. "I cannot believe you asked that!"  
  
"That good huh?" she cackled giving him a final squeeze before releasing him.  
  
"Ms. Ryoko!" Ayeka shouted as she came upon the scene. "I can't believe my eyes!"  
  
Ryoko smiled happily at the sincere annoyance in Ayeka's voice. "Maybe your vision problem is a result of generations of royal family inbreeding!" she shot back effortlessly.  
  
"Oh! You!" Ayeka fumed, her fists clenched tightly at her sides, her full purple robes hiding the rest of her physical reaction to the taunt.  
  
Ryoko folded her legs into the 'Indian style' position and hovered above Ayeka's head. "A tradition," she continued, "that I see you and your nephew have opted to continue."  
  
Tenchi smacked his lips together, his lifetime-worth of incest taboos overriding his new social order for a moment and casting him into utter mortification.  
  
"You're upsetting Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka snapped as six mini-logs appeared by her head.  
  
"So that's the 'Lord' you were calling out to last night," Ryoko mused. "I heard you all the way across the lake!" she taunted, Mihoshi's story giving her plenty of teasing ammunition.  
  
Ayeka's anger-flushed cheeks paled. Now it was Ayeka's turn to stutter. "R-r-really? You heard?"  
  
Ryoko looked seriously at her friend and nodded. "That is. nope! I lied," she said, words not matching her actions. "But now I know what you did last night!" she whooped floating over to pinch Ayeka's cheeks. "My little girl is growing up!"  
  
Tenchi's eyes widened and he seemed faint as he staggered against the wall.  
  
"Get your paws off of me!" Ayeka complained, her pale cheeks turning pink once more. She sent her mini-logs over to encircle the pirate. "I should teach you some manners!"  
  
"Bring it on!" Ryoko sang out, ready to play.  
  
Ayeka growled and made as if to hurl a plasma charge at Ryoko, then she paused and considered. "Before or after breakfast?"  
  
Ryoko yawned, going along with it. "Oh after, definitely."  
  
"Will you be joining us today then?" Ayeka asked formally.  
  
"Yep. I promised Sami I might."  
  
Ayeka walked toward the table, using the logs to gently escort Ryoko to the table.  
  
"Hey let me go! I'll be good," Ryoko pretended to plead, begging on her hands and knees.  
  
Ayeka politely hid a smile behind a hand. "No lies at breakfast please."  
  
Tenchi followed them with a distinctly dazed expression on his face. "What just happened?" he asked the room in general.  
  
Washu joined him and patted his shoulder. "Just the natural order of things resuming its usual course. Don't let it bother you." She looped her arm through Tenchi's and escorted him to the table.  
  
Noboyuki, in casual wear, dashed through the living room. "No breakfast for me, I'm going to miss my bus into town if I don't hurry! My film has been developed."  
  
Everyone waved after him until he had his shoes on and was racing out the front door. With her last wave, Ayeka released her hold on Ryoko.  
  
As the Jurian power field faded away, Ryoko slid into her old seat at the table on one side of Tenchi. She leaned back and shot Ayeka a questioning look, to which the princess responded with a slight nod. Satisfied that she wasn't pushing her luck too far this morning, Ryoko relaxed and poured herself a cup of good, strong, tea. That had been fun.  
  
Mihoshi was already at the table looking groggy as she contemplated her own tea. Her pink blouse was on inside-out and her yellow hair was only half- way into its typical ponytail.  
  
"Rough night?" Ryoko asked, unable to suppress a snicker.  
  
Mihoshi nodded significantly and rolled her eyes.  
  
Katsuhito entered the room and sat by Mihoshi in time to catch the exchange. "The wind was still last night, and you know how sound carries," he contributed.  
  
Ayeka kept her eyes downcast, clearly choosing not to take the bait.  
  
"Ryoko!" Sasami exclaimed happily as she came around the corner with a large bucket of rice from the steamer. "What a nice surprise!"  
  
"Miya!" Ryo-Ohki agreed from her perch on Sasami's head as she waved a small paw at her sister.  
  
Ryoko grinned. " I ran out of beer and eggs," she teased. "So I thought I would come over and mooch off of you."  
  
Sasami smiled. "You are welcome anytime," she said scooping rice into bowls and passing them around the table. "There is always plenty of food."  
  
Ryoko didn't miss that her place setting had been out and waiting for her. "Particularly when you have Tsunami predicting the future for you, eh?"  
  
Sasami giggled and nodded.  
  
Ryoko laughed. "We really need to be more careful with our secrets around you, Kiddo. I bet you have the dirt on all of us!"  
  
Ayeka and Tenchi joined her in laughter much to Sasami's chagrin. "I don't ask her about anything personal, I promise!" she protested, her checks warming with a faint blush.  
  
Ryoko hooted. "You really haven't asked how many brats your sister will have?"  
  
"Ryoko, that's enough," Ayeka said faintly, rubbing a nervous hand over her belly.  
  
Sasami, looking a tad guilty and a tad mischievous, leaned over and whispered a figure in Ryoko's ear.  
  
Ryoko stopped laughing abruptly and looked at Ayeka with round eyes. "Wow."  
  
"Wow what?" Ayeka demanded. "I insist that you tell me this instant!"  
  
"I thought thirteen was unlucky number on earth. I guess you'll prove them wrong," Ryoko said with respect in her voice.  
  
"Thirteen is an auspicious number in many cultures," Katsuhito pointed out.  
  
"Thir-thirteen?" Ayeka stuttered. "Oh my." She was gripping her belly now.  
  
Tenchi, who had missed the end of the conversation while he had been talking to Washu, turned to his wife with concern. "Are you okay?"  
  
Ayeka's hand fluttered to her mouth. "I just don't feel very well, my Tenchi."  
  
"You don't think it's morning sickness do you?" Ryoko asked as seriously as she could.  
  
Ayeka squeaked and staggered up from the table. "Excuse me!" she gasped and ran from the room, Tenchi hot on her heels.  
  
Ryoko laughed softly, clearly trying to hold it all in. She pushed her bowl of rice aside and laid her arms and head on the table to hide her face, but her shaking shoulders gave her away anyway.  
  
"Was that really necessary?" Washu asked, a tremble of laughter hanging on to the edge of her words.  
  
"And I did not say thirteen!" Sasami protested around a laugh. "That was mean!" She tried to frown at the pirate, but an impish grin kept wiping the sour look away.  
  
"You can tell her later," Ryoko said from under her arms.  
  
"If you come with me and apologize," Sasami insisted.  
  
"Oh, okay," Ryoko agreed, sitting back up. "I just couldn't help myself. It was a as good as old times."  
  
"Someone's full of vinegar this morning," Washu observed taking a sip of her tea. "Between this and your way in from the front door, you've had quite a morning."  
  
Beaming, Ryoko picked up her rice bowl and dug in her hashi. "Yup," she said, shoveling a large amount of rice into her mouth. "It's nice to be here for breakfast," she said through a mouthful of food.  
  
"Lonely?" Katsuhito inquired as he slurped at his tea.  
  
Ryoko shrugged, not wanting to start sharing her feelings so early in the morning. And besides, she wasn't really certain herself. It just felt good to be there.  
  
"Bored?" Washu asked shrewdly.  
  
That was a safer question. "I guess so." Ryoko sat her now empty bowl back on the table. "It's been kinda, you know." she trailed off and took a gulp of tea. Great, now she was spilling her guts at the breakfast table.  
  
Washu nodded. " I think I do." The genius's expression was pinched for a moment before it cleared again.  
  
Ryoko looked her mother in the eye for a long moment and nodded at what she saw there. Maybe the spill was worth it. "So what do you do?"  
  
"I sleep!" Mihoshi chimed in, even though she wasn't following the conversation.  
  
Used to such outbursts, Washu smoothed down her shorts while she thought of the right answer. "I keep busy."  
  
Ryoko examined the bottom of her teacup, watching the small leaf fragments drift about. "Too busy, Washu."  
  
"Oh so you want balance too?" Washu asked dryly. "My Little Ryoko is becoming so mature."  
  
"Shut up," Ryoko groused. Her earlier good mood was fading in the face of all this thinking.  
  
"Do you need more to do?" Katsuhito inquired. "My sword collection could use a good polishing."  
  
"You can polish them by sticking them up your." Ryoko began to shoot back, but paused at the eager look on Sasami's face. "Up your.nose," she ended lamely.  
  
"Man," Sasami groaned.  
  
Ryoko let a single fang slip over her lip as she smirked at the youngster. "You only think you know what I was gonna say."  
  
"You were going to tell him to stick it up his ass," the girl replied smartly.  
  
"Sasami!" Ayeka screeched from the bathroom.  
  
Ryoko jumped to her feet. "Damn, she has ears like a owl! I'm out of here before I get blamed!"  
  
"Ryoko!" the older princess bellowed, but the pirate was already gone.  
  
***  
  
Ryoko appeared in the woods just beyond the shrine. She followed an ancient set of stairs, so old and well hidden she doubted that even Katsuhito knew they existed, up the hillside. Sunlight filtered through the trees and cast a dim glow upon the forest floor.  
  
:: Don't forget, you have lab duty with me this morning,:: Washu nagged.  
  
::Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll be there. Just give me a few minutes, okay?::  
  
::Not a problem, my dear.::  
  
As she walked, Ryoko put her hands behind her head and pondered. Things felt better lately. It was easier to have fun again. But it was weird, sometimes. Feeling better, made her feel more. what? Isolated? She wanted have fun, but not all by herself.  
  
Was she really lonely?  
  
Maybe Washu was right. Maybe she needed more to do. Her daily rounds with Washu and Katsuhito had seemed like too much at first, but after she had gotten into the routine, she found herself with way too much time on her hands.  
  
Time that let her ruminate on Tenchi and her own flaws. She needed to do more than watch movies and play video games all day. That had gotten boring quickly. Her new home was wonderful, but it was also very quiet. It got to her sometimes.  
  
But she couldn't go raise hell at Tenchi's house every time things got too quiet. Well she could, but it wouldn't be welcomed.  
  
Which could lead to her not being welcome. That was not what she wanted at all.  
  
She titled her head up so she could watch the sky through the tops of the trees. So what should she do? Maybe she needed more noise. Maybe learn to play an instrument? Nah, that sounded like too much work.  
  
Sasami made lots of noise in the kitchen. Should she develop her cooking skills? Again, too much work.  
  
Then, what?  
  
Date someone? It came out of the blue, the idea that she was free to search for love. Or at least to date. Yeah right. First, she needed to meet someone. And second, they wouldn't be Tenchi, and at this phase in her life that meant she wouldn't be interested. Though they would make a lot of noise when she punched them out for being fresh. It'd be noisy all right, but too messy.  
  
"Yow!"  
  
Ryoko pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked for the source of the high pitched sound. Pausing her steps, she waited, and it sounded again, off the path to the right. Ryoko floated towards the sound, listening. Whatever it was sounded frightened and helpless, two things Ryoko couldn't stand to hear anymore. She had to make it stop.  
  
"Yowl!"  
  
Ryoko zeroed in on the sound and peered over the side of a rotten, fungus covered log. To her surprise, she saw a feeble grey and white kitten pawing at its mother. At its dead mother. A fox or something had ravaged the older cat, and it seemed she had come back to her litter only to die. It was a horrible scene, the dead mother and her dead offspring huddled around her in silent lumps. Only this one had managed to survive, and it seemed on the verge of losing its battle.  
  
Her heart went out to it immediately. It was just like her, abandoned and alone.  
  
There was no way she could just leave it like that, leave it to die.  
  
Ryoko gently scooped the kitten into the palm of her hand and held it to her chest, its little heart beating rapidly against her. "Hush. It's all right."  
  
The pitiful animal writhed in her hand and tried to suckle on her thumb. When no milk came, it cried out again, the hopeless, bereft sound stabbing into Ryoko's troubled heart.  
  
Sometimes she felt like she didn't have a mother either, but in her deepest heart she knew that wasn't true. Yeah, she was lonely, but she wasn't alone. Like this little guy, he didn't have anybody.  
  
"It'll be all alright," Ryoko whispered to the kitten. "I promise."  
  
Afraid of what teleporation might do to the weak creature, Ryoko flew back to the Masaki residence as swiftly as she could, shielding the animal from the rushing air with her hands. Remembering Tenchi's invitation to move freely, she slid open the front door, shoes still on, and pelted to Washu's lab and knocked on the door with her knuckles.  
  
:: Mom! Mom! Let me in! Hurry! It's an emergency!:: she thought at Washu.  
  
The door swung open on its own and Ryoko rushed through.  
  
"I'm over here," Washu called, making her way over to her daughter. She was wiping her hands on a white smock that went down to her knees. ::What's the problem?:: There was a funny overtone to the mental voice, a mix of happiness and thick tears, though Washu's face was carefully neutral.  
  
Not noticing, Ryoko held the kitten out, firmly supporting it. "I found this guy out in the woods. He looks sick," she said urgently. Then haltingly, as if she were embarrassed, she asked, "Will you help him?"  
  
Washu watched her daughter with suddenly ancient seeming eyes, a small smile curving over her lips. "Of course. This way." She turned and led Ryoko to the more medically equipped portion of her laboratory. As they approached it, the lights went from a dim illumination to a bright shock of light, revealing a shiny medical examination table.  
  
"Place him on the table, please," Washu requested in a professional voice.  
  
Ryoko nodded and laid the kitten down on his side. He made a small cry as the cold surface touched his fur and Ryoko soothed him with gentle strokes of her finger. "Hey, Hey," she murmured.  
  
"Please step back while I scan him."  
  
Ryoko complied reluctantly, holding her hands in front of her, the fingers nervously laced together. "What's wrong with him? Can't you hurry? Is he okay?"  
  
"Calm down. He is not going to die on the spot. To answer your very excellent question, he is dehydrated and malnourished," Washu said, reading from a monitor as she spoke.  
  
Ryoko nodded, looking grave. "Will he make it?"  
  
Washu smiled gently. "With some work, I believe so. He seems to have a lot of spunk. Like someone else I know."  
  
Ryoko grinned at her mother, both for the good news and the endearment. "What do I need to do?"  
  
Washu pulled on some plastic gloves and carefully inserted an IV into the kitten's paw. "I'm going to get him hydrated first, then all you will need to do is bottle feed him whenever he cries, which will be 'round the clock, and keep him warm for the next three weeks. That means keeping him with you at all times. Think you can do that?"  
  
Ryoko reached out and began to pet the kitten. "That's no problem."  
  
Washu attached the IV to a small bag of saline solution. "You know, you used to bring me hurt animals all the time when you were a kid," she reminisced.  
  
"Mmmm," Ryoko murmured. "He's soft."  
  
Washu let it go, knowing Ryoko was not one for going down memory lane. "What are you going to name him?"  
  
Still petting, Ryoko considered. "'Tenchi'?" she half-asked.  
  
"No way. That is just too weird, even for you," Washu sad with a firm shake of her head.  
  
Ryoko agreed with a sheepish nod. "Hmmm. How about 'Sake'?"  
  
Washu tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear. "Well that fits you, but it doesn't seem to fit this little guy. He's barely a shot glass of cider."  
  
Ryoko nodded. "Yeah. Hey, how about 'Ghost'. I mean, he almost was one."  
  
The kitten chose that moment to break into a weak purr, barely audible, but Ryoko could feel it under her hand.  
  
Washu grinned. "I think he likes it."  
  
***  
  
Ryoko emerged from Washu's lab with a small blanket covered bundle cradled to her chest and a miniature bottle in her right hand. Several hours had passed since she had entered the lab, and she could hear a new program playing on the TV.  
  
"Ooo! What do you have Ryoko?" Sasami asked excitedly running over to her friend.  
  
"Do you wanna see?" Ryoko teased.  
  
"Yes! Yes!" Sasami laughed.  
  
"What do you have there, Ryoko?" Ayeka asked from her place on the couch.  
  
"Well," Ryoko began as she walked to the couch, Sasami following very closely. "I'll show you if you're not still mad at me for this morning."  
  
Ayeka smiled. "Of course I'm not. It was just another if your crude attempts of humor after all, and my sister is capable of policing her language on her own, despite your poor influence on her," she sniffed.  
  
Ryoko stopped in her tracks, a wide smile splitting her face. Ayeka was treating her like she used to. Finally! "You have a dirtier mouth than Sasami when you get going," she teased, continuing on her way to the couch.  
  
Ayeka met Ryoko's eyes and smiled. "Who, me? You rotten space trollop!" she teased right back.  
  
The three shared a laugh as Ryoko sat down on the couch by Ayeka and was soon sandwiched in by Sasami. Ryoko carefully moved the blanket to reveal the sleeping face of the kitten.  
  
Sasami squealed with delight and the kitten opened one yellow eye half-way. "I'm sorry to wake him, he's just so cute!"  
  
"Indeed," Ayeka agreed. "Where did you find him, Ryoko?"  
  
Ryoko related the story while the kitten showed-off his needle sharp fangs in a wide, tongue curling yawn.  
  
"Poor little fellow," Ayeka sighed scratching under the kitten's chin. "He's lucky you found him."  
  
"What did you name him?" Sasami wanted to know.  
  
"Ghost," Ryoko said cradling him in her arms and pressing the bottle to his muzzle. He immediately took the nipple into his mouth and began to suck greedily, bringing his front paws up to grip Ryoko's hand.  
  
Ayeka and Sasami cooed at how cute he was.  
  
"Watch this," Ryoko said and pulled the bottle away from the kitten. He growled a milky growl deep in the back off his throat and pulled the bottle back with his paws, tiny beads of splashed formula forming on his whiskers.  
  
"Oh! So cute!" the sisters exclaimed.  
  
Ryoko beamed down at the creature in her arms, she was filled with happiness to be a nurturer instead of a destroyer.  
  
The three young women were engrossed with watching the kitten feed when the sharp sound of a camera shutter caught their attention. They looked up to see Noboyuki with his camera in hand. "It's important to document the arrival of new family members," he said softly, moving in to take more pictures.  
  
Ryoko smiled and cuddled into the kitten, mugging for a shot. Ayeka and Sasami snuggled in on either side and beamed at the camera as well.  
  
"Good, good," Noboyuki encouraged while he came closer, taking pictures as he went.  
  
Ryoko took the bottle away and held Ghost up so that his paws failed in the air as he squalled his displeasure at having his meal removed. After Noboyuki finished taking the picture, she wrapped the kitty back in his blanket and continued to feed him. "Okay, photo-time is over."  
  
Noboyuki snapped the lens-cap on the camera and ran a hand through his rich, black hair. "It looks like Ayeka here isn't the only one who will make a good mommy."  
  
Ryoko flushed, then stiffened, turning to Ayeka and quirking an eyebrow. "Mommy?"  
  
"Well," Ayeka began, her own cheeks turning pink. "Your teasing wasn't that far off the mark this morning, Ryoko.  
  
"What? You're knocked up? All ready?" Ryoko demanded her vice raising in pitch with every word.  
  
"Well, in a matter of speaking, yes," the embarrassed princess admitted.  
  
Sasami nodded happily. "I'm gonna be an aunt! Yippee!"  
  
Ryoko snickered and tickled Ghost's belly. "I thought you were putting on some weight, but I just assumed you were already letting yourself go."  
  
"Babies are not fat!" Ayeka protested her flush deepening with anger. " I am not a pig like you!"  
  
As Ryoko prepared another barb, the front door slid open. Tenchi walked in, stepping out of his shoes in a smooth, practiced motion. He held out the take-out bag so Ayeka could see it. "Honey, I brought you the tacos and hot dogs and ice cream, just like you wanted."  
  
Ryoko let out a belly laugh. "Oink! Oink!" she snorted. "You are going to get so fat!"  
  
Unnoticed by the others, Noboyuki was taking pictures again, capturing the family moment for posterity.  
  
Ayeka jumped to her feet. "At least my child isn't a flea bitten cur with a mangy tail!"  
  
Hurt flashed across Ryoko's eyes and she clutched the kitten to her chest. Sure, she didn't have Tenchi, have a husband, so there were no children in her future. Not that she particularly wanted any, but that had been a low blow. In the back ground, Ryoko could hear Sasami reprimanding Ayeka for her cruel remark. Ryoko straightened her back as she saw Ayeka falter and obviously prepare to apologize. If that happened, all of the ground Ryoko had gained in the last few weeks would be lost.  
  
They had to think she could take it, even if she couldn't, if things were ever going to be normal here.  
  
Swimming past the sting of her friend's words, Ryoko put on a cocky smile. "Oh yeah? Better a tail than webbed feet!" she shot back.  
  
The uncertainty fled from Ayeka's expression and she smiled at the ex- pirate before putting on her own mask of aloofness. "There is technology to take care of that sort of thing," she sniffed.  
  
Ryoko nodded. "Too bad it didn't work on you," she said with a wink. "There's surgery for that you know!"  
  
Ayeka just rolled her eyes. "Do you mind if I eat now? I really must have those tacos."  
  
Feeling calm and relaxed after her favorite past time, Ryoko eased up. "Whatever."  
  
Tenchi smiled nervously at Ryoko, as if he still wasn't sure how to act around her. "I actually brought enough for all of us to share," he said handing the bag to Ayeka.  
  
"No!" Ayeka growled. "Mine."  
  
Ryoko chuckled. "Well I'm outta here before she eats my cat too."  
  
****  
  
Sweating, Ryoko lowered her bokken and twisted it around so she holding it at her side as if it was sheathed at her belt. She tilted forward at the waist and bowed to Katsuhito. "Domo, Sensei."  
  
Katsuhito returned the bow. "You are improving."  
  
Ryoko inclined her head slightly. That was good news, hopefully that meant they would begin sparring soon. She now had a better understanding of the importance of the katas now, but longed for a more satisfying fight.  
  
"Thirsty?" he asked casually.  
  
"Very, but let me check on Ghost chan first." She walked over to a wicker basket and peered inside. "Still asleep," she reported.  
  
"Still carrying him around like a child, eh?"  
  
"I had too, Washu said so. Kittens need to eat a lot," she defended, even though she knew he was teasing her. Carrying a cat around in a basket for four weeks had been hard on her pride.  
  
"I see."  
  
Ryoko paced to the spring and drank several dippers of water so cold it made even her teeth ache. "Ah!" She smacked her lips and brought a full dipper to the old priest.  
  
He took it from her and drank deeply. "Thank you. Are you ready to share your latest Haiku with me?"  
  
She shrugged. "Why not? It's what we do every day. Here or in the office?"  
  
Katsuhito returned the dipper to the spring's basin and walked towards the top stair of the steps leading down from the shrine. "I've a better idea. Come here," he said, sitting down on the paver.  
  
Ryoko followed and sat beside him. The view spreading out before them was always a beautiful one, but tonight they could also see the full moon rising over the lake.  
  
"Let's hear it."  
  
Ryoko pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and carefully smoothed it out.  
  
"Together or not being alone changes you like wind in the sand."  
  
The older man made a noise of agreement in his throat.  
  
"Do you know what I mean?" she pressed in a moment of openness. It was becoming easier to talk to him and Washu about things.  
  
"Tell me."  
  
Ryoko looked out over the lake and at the bright orange orb seeming to fight its way out of the water. "Being alone isn't about who you're with. or not with. It can happen either way."  
  
He rubbed his chin and tilted his head so he watched her profile. "But being alone still shapes us. Yes?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"The moon is lonely too, don't you think?" he asked.  
  
"I guess. I've never really thought about it before."  
  
"Look at her now. Alone, and still she is full and strong, and like you she is breaking free."  
  
"But she is still lonely."  
  
Katsuhito took her hand. "In our own ways, so are we all.  
  
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"  
  
" No. It just is."  
  
Ryoko thought about that for a long moment, watching the rising moon's reflection shimmer as the lake's water lapped against the pier. Washu was lonely and she hid herself in work. Ayeka's entire life as a princess had been lonely, so she hid herself in Tenchi's love. Noboyuki was lonely without his wife, so he hid in fantasies. Katsuhito was cut off from his home world and family, and he hid himself in the embrace of the earth. Tenchi had never had a mother, so he had taken in all of the girls and hidden in their chaos. They all had their own brand of loneliness and they all seemed to cope.  
  
An oddly enough, so was she.  
  
Ryoko got to her feet and stretched. "It's been fun pretending to be all philosophical, but its time for my favorite TV show."  
  
Katsuhito made no move to get up. "Very well. Your poetry has improved greatly. You no longer have to share them with me."  
  
Ryoko's shoulder's sagged.  
  
"Unless you want to," he amended.  
  
"We'll see," she hedged, sounding happier than she had intended.  
  
She picked up Ghost's basket and teleported back to her home.  
  
***  
  
Ryoko finished off the last of the frozen pizza with shrug. What was so special about freezing them? In her opinion, they tasted better warm. Weird. She scooted back from the kitchen table, leaving her mess for the automatic cleaning system to deal with.  
  
What to do tonight? She walked into the living room and turned on a couple of area lamps, the soft light making the room feel cozy. Maybe some TV later, but right now a nap sounded good.  
  
Sitting on her couch Ryoko lifted the kitten out of its basket and laid on her back, placing the kitten on her belly. It arched its tiny back and yawned.  
  
"My sentiments exactly," Ryoko agreed, gently rubbing behind his ears.  
  
Ghost purred loudly and began kneading Ryoko's chest with his paws.  
  
"I think you are doing all right, little man," she murmured. "No more carrying you around in the basket, it's bad for my image."  
  
Ghost meowed at her in a whiny voice and playfully nipped at her fingers.  
  
"Well too bad," she said firmly. "Life's tough." She gently took his tail and brushed his nose with it. Ghost rolled on his back and immediately began chewing on his tail.  
  
Ryoko laughed softly, and removed the tail before the kitten could harm himself. Ghost snuggled in between Ryoko's breasts and purred deeply, his entire body vibrating. Ryoko sighed and slid her arms behind her head. " I am getting soooo soft."  
  
Ryoko's eyes wandered over to her entertainment console, where she had started displaying framed photographs of the family. Larger than the other pictures and elegantly displayed in a silver frame was a group photo from Tenchi and Ayeka's wedding. Ryoko herself was a part of that photo, but her body was stiff and her eyes were glazed. Closer inspection showed that Washu and Mihoshi were propping her up. Washu had drugged her that day, and Ryoko could barely even remember being there. What stood out the most was her memory of her feelings. She had felt frozen and utterly lost, a feeling that still faintly lingered.  
  
Next to the picture of the wedding was a set of two smaller ones in a wooden hinged frame. On one side a photo showed Sasami teaching Ryoko how to make pancakes, the smiling pair covered in batter. The other side displayed a photo of Ryoko, Ayeka and Sasami feeding the kitten. All three of them smiled for the camera as Ghost fed from the bottle. They looked more like sisters than just friends.  
  
Ryoko looked between the two picture frames and her smile softened. She was still hurt, that fact of life didn't seem to be going away anytime soon, and she was still lonely, but Katsuhito was right, so was everyone.  
  
Life went on. She looked at her dead face in the wedding photograph and sighed. Yeah, she was getting soft, but that was much better than staying frozen. Smiling at her own wisdom, Ryoko closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep.  
  
"MEEEOOOW!" Ghost's eyes glinted up at her as his ears titled back.  
  
"What? You can't be hungry already?" Ryoko asked, opening one eyes. "You're just spoiled."  
  
"Yow! Yow! Yow!" Ghost cried, flicking his tail.  
  
"Hush! It's quiet time," Ryoko said firmly, shutting her eyes.  
  
"MEOW! MEOOOOOOW!" the cat proclaimed standing up and poking its wet nose against Ryoko's cheek.  
  
"God, you're worse than that prissy princess!" Ryoko grumbled, hiding her head under a red pillow.  
  
Ghost retreated to her belly continued to howl out his hunger.  
  
Ryoko groaned. What the hell had she done to deserve this? Instead of with Tenchi, she was living with the loudest cat in Japan.  
  
Ghost crawled back up to Ryoko's head and wormed his way under the pillow so he could lick her chin.  
  
Ryoko smiled. It could have been worse.  
  
The End 


End file.
